X3, the Sentinels Of Genosha
by beyond-grace
Summary: First of 3 stories. On the tiny island of Genosha a mutant tyrant known as Apocalypse plots to destroy life as we know it. It is up to the X-Men to stop his evil plans. Please R&R, I need input for 2 3
1. Default Chapter

First, a disclaimer: The events in the following story are based upon characters created by Stan Lee's X-Men. This story is not meant for publication. Any original character bios will be listed at the end of this piece. The events in the following stories begin two years after the second X-Men movie. Please enjoy.  
  
Second, this story is not formatted for www.fanfiction.net . My apologies for that, but it's too long for me to go through it and check ever single thing. If you would like a copy in Word format, please e-mail me at netpire@hotmail.com. I will try to respond as soon as possible.  
  
Third, the setting. This is supposed to be two years after the second X- Men movie. Warning, I have spoilers! 


	2. Sentinels of Genosha full story

X-Men:  
The Sentinels Of Genosha  
Chapter One  
  
Getting on and off the island was the hard part. The fun part. The challenge. One that Remy welcomed. In the end the Cajun had decided that it would be easiest to use a boat. He knew that anyone with a half decent radar system could see him coming. He didn't care. None of the guards would get upset about a small speedboat approaching the island. He thought.  
Remy could see Genosha ahead of him. He hated the name, although the island looked simple enough. About five-dozen small houses, shops, stores and other buildings, then one warehouse were scattered around the island. Remy guessed that most of the inhabitants worked inside of the warehouse. That was fine with him. So long as they didn't get in his way, he didn't care where they worked.  
Finally he parked his boat at a dock, tying it tightly. It took him only a few seconds to make his way through the streets and to the warehouse. His employers had given him a schematic of the building. He counted it as a cheating tool. They assumed that Remy LeBeau could not get inside of a simple warehouse. And they were right. Remy LeBeau could not. But Gambit could.  
Gambit reached into his pocket, pulling out a deck of cards. He pulled the top card, holding it between his right index and middle finger. It started to glow florescent yellow. He looked at the door, smiling. "Knock, knock," Gambit said as he threw the card through the air.  
It wasn't his most graceful entrance, but it was dramatic. The door blew from its hinges, bucking under the sudden burst of kinetic energy that surged from the card. It made a loud exploding sound, the card appeared to be no more. Gambit could hear alarms blaring. Red lights flashed over his head. He walked inside, amazed at what he saw.  
Twenty-foot tall pink and purple robots stood lined against the wall. There were at least sixty. Others lay half constructed on assembly lines. Some tables held arms, others legs. Other's held the cybernetic heads. They blank eyes stared at him as he walked through the assembly lines to the offices in the back.  
Guards were running to their stations. They were in the balconies above him. Without a second though the mutant turned towards them. He pulled the top three cards off his deck and sent them flying through the air. Each of the cards landed right below the balcony, causing it to collapse.  
The guards looked stunned as the floor fell out from under them. Only one still had a grip on his gun when he landed on the ground floor. Gambit went for him first. The mutant grabbed the guard's gun with his left hand and kicked him in the gut with his right foot. He then charged the gun and threw it aside carelessly, ignoring the explosion it made when it hit the floor.  
A second guard had got to his feet by now. He punched at Gambit. The mutant easily dodged the poor attack, punching the guard in the face once and knocking him out.  
Now the thief's attention turned toward the final guard. This one had gone for his gun as well.  
"Uh-huh," Gambit said.  
The guard looked up just in time to see Gambit pull another card and charge it.  
"I don' think so."  
The guard smiled foolishly then ran. Gambit loved it when they did that. He threw the charged card to the side then processed to the back room and over to the safe. After pressing the code he'd been given Gambit opened the safe. He wished that it held money, or gold. But there was none. All there was was only a chip. The chip that Gambit had been hired to steal. And the thief knew he'd have to settle for that.  
The mutant slipped the chip in his inside pocket, and then ran out of the building. It only took him half the time to run back to the dock, except this time he got into a new boat. One that he imaged belonged to one of the island's richer inhabitants. It didn't take him long to jump- start the boat. And even less time to get away from the island. The entire thing seemed too easy. But Remy could live with that.  
He didn't like it, but he could live with it.  
  
Nathan Tanner heard the alarm going off inside of the warehouse, but couldn't spare one of his men. He was still waiting for reinforcements. He knew a group of mutants were attacking his island, but he did not know why. Some of the mutants made defensive force fields, thus rendering Tanner's men's' guns useless, others were more aggressive. No mercy had been shown from the attacking hoards.  
Tanner now stood next to one of his only remaining men, Baker. The two continued to shoot at the mutants as they backed behind a crate. He heard an explosion and turned in time to see one of the houses crumble in flames. Tanner was happy that his own family was still on the mainland. They had refused to take a house on the island.  
"Break to fire!" Tanner shouted.  
Baker nodded. As the other security guard turned Tanner saw a single red flash of the light. Baker paused for a moment, seemingly stunned. Tanner, in turn, froze too. Baker turned towards him, blood forming at either corner of his lips, then fell to the ground. A hole remained in Tanner's gut, roughly the size of a fist.  
The gunfire had stopped now, and most of the mutants were attacking homes. He watched helplessly as civilians were pulled into the streets, many of them still in their sleeping attire. Some were killed on the spot. Others were herded into one area.  
Tanner could hear a deep evil laughter from behind him. He turned, ready to open fire upon the intruder. Before Tanner could even comprehend what he was seeing he was knocked off his feet, his gun landing three feet away from him.  
The security guard's eyes gazed up with hatred. He wanted the mutant to die. He wanted all of them to die. All over the earth. This mutant stood at least seven feet tall. A dark blue cybernetic suit covered most of his body. Two wires extended out of his back, attaching to either elbow.  
"'If any one slays with the sword, with the sword must he be slain'," the mutant said, his words were deep and coated with the hate Tanner felt for mutants. Without moving his bending down or even moving his feet the mutant's arms extended to a freakish proportion. His finger's wrapped around Tanner's gun, and then the arms retracted to the normal length again.  
"I'll see you in hell," Tanner cursed.  
He heard his gun fire, then nothing.  
* * *  
"Curfew's for losers." That's what John had always said. Kitty knew her friend had snuck out on many occasions. Most of the time she'd been invited, but only because it was easier for her to get him in and out of the school. Tonight, however, John was not with the group of teens that had snuck out of the mansion.  
Kitty wasn't sure exactly what had happened to John Allardyce. For that matter, there were no one at the school knew the exact fate of their former classmate. She suspected that Professor Xavier had checked once, just to make sure that John was okay. Kitty Pryde also suspected that John had simply decided to leave the school. No questions asked, no good-byes said. John simply was there one minute and gone the next. She knew that there were some who enjoyed this news, but she did not. John was always nice to her, and good for adventures. Much like the ones they were on tonight.  
It was Peter's idea. But the other five didn't take much convincing. Rogue, Jubilation Lee, Ken Neil, Bobby Drake and herself had all agreed to sneak out to see a movie. Peter drove, to the movie theatre. Now it was almost one, and the six teens sat in the local all night diner. Each of them nursed their sodas and talked in turn about their thoughts on the movie.  
"It was awesome," Ken said, barely able to contain himself. "Great effects, great acting, awesome."  
"Ken, you're entertained too easily," Jubilee said. The others laughed.  
"I think it sucked," Bobby said plainly. He stood up and put his share of the bill on the table. "I'm gonna take a breather, if the waitress comes could you pay her for me?" He proceeded to the door without saying a word to the others.  
"Do you think one of us should go with him?" Kitty asked as soon as Bobby stepped outside.  
Rogue shook her head. "He's been like that a lot. Ever since his house got torched. His family won't even talk to him anymore."  
"Their afraid," Peter said.  
"Most parents would be, if they found out their kid was like us," Ken said.  
"We're not leprous."  
"Come on, guys, can't we just have one night where we don't concentrate on the fact that we're different?" Jubilee asked.  
By now some of the other customers were looking at the five. Kitty saw one waitress leaning over to whisper to one of the cooks. Finally the cook came to talk to them. He was big. Almost as tall as Peter, were Peter standing. The cook's head was shaved. His arm had a tattoo reading "Die Mutants Die".  
"Ain' it bout time that you kids pay yer bill an' get on home."  
"His home's in Russia, you want him to go there?" Ken joked to Peter. He was the only one who was laughing at it though. Jubilee hit his arm and Ken instantly stopped. The cook did not look amused.  
"Sorry about my friend," Peter said, trying to keep the situation cool. "How much do we owe you?"  
  
"Seventeen fifty," the cook barked.  
Peter reached into his wallet and removed a twenty-dollar bill then handed it to the cook.  
"Apiece," the cook sneered.  
"We just had sodas," Peter objected.  
"That's the price for mutants. Seventeen fifty, apiece."  
Kitty cold tell that there was trouble coming, and she dint' want to be around. She felt like getting up and running through the walls to safety. She wished that the others could do the same. But she was not about to abandon them if trouble started.  
"Hey!" Bobby cried as he stepped back into the restaurant.  
"Don't," Rogue uttered.  
The cook turned. "What do you want, rich boy?"  
"What's the matter here?"  
"Nothing," Rogue said. "We're just paying the tab."  
The cook's hand was already balled into a fist. Kitty could tell that he was just waiting for a reason to hit one of them.  
Rogue stood up and motioned for the others to follow her. As she walked past the cook his spun her around, a firm blow landing directly in her gut. Rogue winced in pain and stumbled backwards. Now all of the teens were standing.  
The cook swung again, this time hitting Peter. Kitty knew that the Russian could take the cook without any problems, but Peter wasn't the type to lose his temper easily. Unfortunately as of late Bobby was.  
The cook lifted his leg to kick Rogue but suddenly stopped. He opened his mouth to gasp for air, but his breath came scarce. His eyes grew wide, and the restaurant patrons watched as his leg started to ice over.  
"Bobby stop!" Rogue ordered.  
Upon her order the ice stopped spreading, just as Bobby had willed it. Rogue got to her feet, motioning the others to follow. They did, with Peter in the rear. Kitty looked back to see the customer's staring at them.  
"Freaks." That would be the word that most of the customers would use. She knew exactly what John would say to Bobby though: "Finally grew some balls, huh Iceman?"  
  
"Bobby!" Rogue shouted before they could get to the car. "What the hell were you thinking?"  
Bobby turned, and for a moment his eyes seemed as cold as his powers. "What do you mean?"  
Rogue crossed her arms and cocked her head slightly. She didn't want to get into another argument, but she knew one was coming. And Rogue wasn't the type of person to back down when challenged. "What do you think I mean, Bobby? Back there in the diner."  
"That guy had it coming. If I didn't do what I did then some other mutant would've. And they might not have been so forgiving."  
"Would you really have stopped if I hadn't told you to? Or unless someone else told you to?"  
Bobby's eyes shied away from hers. He glanced towards the car, seeing the other four already packed inside. Finally he looked back at her. "Of course I would've."  
Rogue wasn't sure if she believed him. She wasn't even sure if he believed himself. "Bobby. I-I know what you're going through," she started.  
"Please, Rogue, don't patronize me."  
"Then don't lie to me!"  
Bobby took in a deep breath. He moved close to her and put his gloved hands to her cheeks. Rogue wanted to shy away from his "touch", knowing that he could never get any close than he was right then. He looked directly into her eyes, and for a moment she saw the old Bobby; the boy who got to go home every Christmas break to spend with his family, the happy Bobby. "I would never have hurt that man, or any man, and leave anything but a mental scare."  
"Promise?" she asked. There was a part of her that wanted him to kiss her right then so that she'd know he was telling the truth.  
Bobby pulled her close, although Rogue was careful not to let her skin touch his. His embrace seemed to warm and comfort her. She was only eighteen and already she had found someone she loved. She had never told Bobby that, of course. But she believed he knew it, and her love was returned.  
"Promise," Bobby whispered, his voice so faint he seemed to be fare away from her.  
"We better get going. As it is Jubilee's gonna tease me all night."  
"You think that Ken won't tease me?"  
She pushed herself away from his embrace and looked up to see him smiling. Rogue couldn't help but smirk. She wrapped her gloved fingers around his and pulled on his arm.  
"Come on."  
  
It was almost one before they arrived back at the school. Ken was already half sleeping on Jubilee's shoulder when they pulled the van to a stop inside of Scott's garage. She had woken him up three times. After that Jubilee was just too irritated to do wake him.  
As they moved through the halls Rogue noticed a light was on in Xavier's study. "Hey guys, I got to use the restroom. I'll catch y'all later, kay?" she lied.  
They nodded and said their goodnights. She gave Bobby an air kiss goodnight and waited until they were halfway up the stairs before going into Xavier's study. They were busted; there was no reason to pretend otherwise.  
Charles Xavier's face was buried in a book, but Rogue knew he was aware of her presence. Before she could even open her mouth to speak he held up his finger for her to wait. She suspected that he was finishing a page, or a chapter. Finally he closed the book and set it on his table. Dante, Rogue read.  
"Next time you're going to sneak out please just leave a note," Xavier said. "It's easier than using Cerebro."  
"I'm sorry professor," Rogue said, shying her eyes away from his.  
"What is it?"  
"I thought you knew."  
"Why don't you tell me?"  
Rogue exhaled heavily and took a seat in front of his desk. She'd seen the room many times before. Several windows stretched the length between ceiling and floor, giving Xavier a view of the back garden. On the same wall as the doorway there were bookshelves, crowded with everything from Shakespeare to modern day physic textbooks. There were only two lamps in the room. One was a simple desk lamp that Xavier had put on his desk, centered at the fare end of the desk. The other was in the back left hand corner. Now the lamp in the back was off.  
"Rogue?" Xavier said, sensing that her mind was starting to wander.  
"Sorry, spacing."  
Xavier nodded. Rogue knew she was in trouble, but also knew that Xavier was a soft enough man that he'd listen, despite your faults.  
"I'm worried about Bobby." She waited, half expecting Xavier to respond right away. He did not. "He's changing. He's different. You know? I know he misses his family but. there seems to be something more. He won't let me in, you know? I feel like he's trying to distance himself from me. From everyone." She stopped and glanced at the floor on reflex. For a moment Rogue thought that she sounded like a nagging girlfriend. "Do you notice it too or am I just being paranoid?"  
"I've noticed it. So has Miss Monroe. Bobby has been hurt Rogue. I know you care for him, but he has to work this out for himself. Don't worry; I have every confidence that Bobby will recover. He just needs time."  
"You really think? I mean- I don't want him ending up like John."  
Xavier's face flustered for a second. Rogue knew he didn't like thinking of John Allardyce. He blamed himself for not helping John more, and for not guiding him, as he should have.  
"He won't," Xavier said, interrupting Rogue's train of thought. "I'm sure of that." With that Xavier moved his wheelchair back and started for the door. "Now, may I ask you a favor?"  
Rogue stood up, caught off guard by the question.  
"Yeah, sure, anything."  
Xavier looked up at her. If he were not crippled the man would have towered over her five foot eight body frame. "Would you mind helping me to my room?"  
Rogue smiled. Again Xavier looked like the father that she had never known. The father she always wanted to know.  
"Of course."  
  
Jacob Morghart held his family portrait in his hands, outlining the edge with his fingers. Even now tears formed in his eyes as he looked at their faces and remembered.  
Unlike most mutants, Jacob had not been born a mutant. Instead he was made one through intense radiation. He also believed himself to be one of the most powerful mutants alive, and the most dangerous to mutant kind.  
Whenever Jacob came within half a mile of a mutant he could use their powers to do his own bidding. What's more, Jacob was also immune to any direct harm from mutant power and could even stop a mutant from using his or her power. Jacob believed that this made him a key element in a fight against any mutant. But instead of going into law enforcement Jacob decided to use his powers in a more illegal way, a more direct way.  
Jacob put down his picture and grabbed the black ski mask from off his dresser. After securing it on his head he grabbed his black leather coat and jumped out the ground floor window of his apartment.  
It didn't take him long to find a mutant. This one was inside of a twenty-four hour donut shop. Jacob could see the mutant's hands glowing from the parking lot. The cashier looked scared. He guessed that the mutant had already attacked someone with his power.  
Jacob knew there wasn't any time to waste. He walked inside the donut shop and sneered the mutant.  
"Hey, buddy, I'm robbing this place. Beat it!"  
Jacob shook his head from side to side slowly. "I'm not your buddy."  
"Right, beat it." Without warning the mutant extended his right arm, and a power wave shot through the air directly at Jacob.  
Jacob didn't flinch. He knew his body would impulsively create a protective field, making the power wave void.  
Now it was the mutant who looked scared. It didn't stop him. He charged Jacob, screaming as he did. Jacob extended his left arm and grabbed the mutant by the throat. He pulled back his right arm, forming it into a fist. The mutant's eyes grew wide with fright as Jacob's fist started to glow with energy.  
"You've got one chance to live," Jacob whispered. He knew that the mutant heard every word he said. "Give back the money, and tell you're mutant friends that Reaper is coming for them. Got it? Reaper is coming for all you mutant scumbags."  
The mutant nodded his head quickly. Jacob punched his right hand forward, letting it land in the mutant's gut. The mutant flew backwards, crashing into the counter. He was instantly knocked out. Jacob wanted punch the thief until the mutant died. But he didn't. He turned around and walked out of the donut shop. There were many more mutants in the city.  
  
Logan had been in the gym for almost an hour when Ororo called to him. Bad dreams. Always bad dreams. By now the punching bag had more dents in it than not. It was just lucky Logan hadn't gotten really angry, then the damn thing would be torn apart. In his dream he was being attacked. Torn apart. Given his metal skeleton. He'd had the dream before. He knew he'd have it again. And, as had happened every other time he had his nightmares, Logan woke up with his bed torn to shreds and his claws out.  
"Logan," Ororo called to him.  
He turned, trying not to look threatening. From her expression he guessed that he had failed.  
"You're class. Are you going to be ready in five minutes?"  
Logan chucked and picked up the towel he had intended to use for a shower. "Yeah, sorry. I lost track of time. You mind tellin' them I might be a minute late."  
Ororo smiled back, informing him that he hadn't startled her too much.  
"I'll do that."  
"Thanks Storm."  
He knew it wasn't exactly proper to call Ororo by her X-Man name, but she'd learned to accept it from Logan. What she didn't know was, at least what Logan hoped she didn't know was, that he found "Storm" a lot easier to pronounce than "Ororo". He believed everyone else in the school did, but none of them wanted to push Storm's buttons.  
Out of all the mutants at the school, teacher or student, Storm was the only one that Logan had never wanted to get in a fight with. She was easily agitated, and didn't make the effort to hide her emotions. That, and if she got really pissed at him his adamantium bones would be a perfect conductor for one or her lightning bolts.  
He chuckled at his mock fear and continued to wipe his sweat down as he walked to his room. With the door still half opened Logan changed his shirt, wiped himself down once more and proceeded to class. He knew that he smelt a bit, but it didn't bother him. The kids had called him Wolverine before, and he made no effort to avoid the animal reputation. His hair came to a point on either side of his head and continued down for Elvis-like sideburns. His temper was short (much shorter than Storm's). He didn't like to lose at poker or in a fight. Although he hadn't been a fight that he'd lost yet.  
He collected his thoughts, now inside of his classroom. Twelve students all stood in their various places around the room. Some of the girls were gossiping, but that wasn't abnormal. "All right, everyone," he said. "Today we're doing our class presentations." Logan paused for a second, looking over the attendance sheet, still disappointed with himself for not learning all of the students names by now. "Ken, why don't you bring up your painting first?"  
He heard the student groan as he took the portrait from the easel and walked to the front of the class. The other students chucked, not quite willing to believe that they're turn wasn't fare off.  
With that, Logan went to the back of the room and took a seat, he was ready to grade.  
  
Kurt Wagner had been instructed to make sure the students conformed to their detention. It had been agreed that he would take half and make sure they did cleaned the kitchen, while Ororo would take the rest and have them do the garden work. He knew that he could have handed both sets of children by himself, but thought it better to let Ororo feel in charge.  
It was his fault, really. He'd heard them sneaking out. Peter Rasputin wasn't exactly the most graceful of all Xavier's students. Kurt had heard him leaving, but knew it was good for the children to get out once in a while for themselves. He also knew that Xavier had to make it look like he didn't agree, otherwise the students would sneak out every night.  
"Let's hurry things up," Kurt said, bored now. He was holding onto the hanging light with his tail and watching the students work  
"You know, you could help us," Kitty replied as she placed another pot into the cupboard.  
Kurt shook his head. "This is your punishment. Not mine."  
"It could be yours too," Ken said, smiling. In a second he morphed his appearance and looked identical to Kurt. "The amazing Night Crawler lives again," Ken said, his voice identical to Kurt's. In an instant Ken teleported himself to a hanging light opposite Kurt, his own pseudo-tale wrapped around it as well.  
Kurt knew that Ken had the ability not only to change his appearance to match that of others, but in the case of mutants he could actually mimic their abilities.  
Kitty and Rogue were both clapping at Ken's performance. Kurt even clapped once in spite of himself. "Alright," Kurt said, "back to work."  
Ken groaned and fell to the floor, changing shape mid-drop to once again become himself.  
"Kitty. Rogue," Kurt said.  
"Ah but Kurt!" Rogue protected.  
"Finish it up, come on. You're almost done."  
They nodded and continued to work.  
  
Sloth had searched the wear house for hours. He'd literally torn the office apart, checked the drawers and all of the disk drives, but the disk was no where to be found.  
"Sir," Inferred started. "We found a video security file. It appears that moments before we took the island a mutant broke in here and stole the chip. We're still unsure who the mutant is, but we did find his boat on the docks."  
Sloth nodded. He hated giving bad news. It took him no time to find Apocalypse, is lord and master. The seven foot tall mutant was looking over their captives. It wouldn't be long now until he started introducing them with the same serum he'd given most of the Alliance of Evil. Most of the mutants that Sloth worked with were little more than mindless drones subject to Apocalypse's every beck and call. Sloth knew he was little better, but at least he had options of living free.  
"Milord," Sloth said, a large knot suddenly forming in his stomach. "An unidentified mutant had stolen the chip. How would you like us to proceed?"  
  
Apocalypse growled with anger and reached forward. Sloth felt the mutant's tight grip grapple round his neck and heard the sound of his own bones crunching beneath Apocalypse's grip.  
  
Apocalypse growled again not turning to see his other soldier's. "Soul Trader," he said through clenched teeth. "Start the initiation process."  
"Yes sir," he heard her say. Her voice was raspy, like always. One of the reasons's why he liked her.  
"Wraith," Apocalypse continued. "Gather your best men, find this mutant. Get the chip. And kill anyone who is with him."  
"Milord," Wraith replied. Apocalypse turned just in time to see Wraith walk towards his squad.  
  
Inferred, Razor Burn, and four other mutants waited for Wraith's orders. They watched his approach, his eyes growling florescent green. Wraith's figure was deceivingly slim for his strength. His brown hair was much lighter than his black attire. He had never known night, seeing daylight even in the absence of light.  
"What are our orders?" Razor Burn asked.  
"We go to war," Wraith replied, holding one of his two knight sticks in the air.  
The others cheered. Apocalypse's bloodlust serum had done its job well.  
  
Chapter Two  
  
Remy Lebeau poured himself a cup of whisky. His plan had gone perfectly, and tonight he was going to meet Pietro, his employer, later that night and exchange the chip for cash. Remy looked at glanced at the chip again. He hadn't bothered to find out what was on it, but curiosity was starting to get the better of him. The thief walked over to his desk, where the chip lay, and reached his hand down.  
The phone rang as Remy did so. Remy chuckled to himself, startled by the sudden burst of noise. He picked up the phone. "Gambit," Remy said on impulse. He never answered the phone using his real name.  
"Cut that crap out," the thief heard Alan say. "I know who it is."  
"Alan, hi. What can Gambit do for you, eh?"  
"I've got a job for you."  
"Of course you do? What is it?"  
"Upstate New York. There's this guy that's got a Monet. Low security. Feel up to it?"  
Someone knocked on the door. Remy went to it and opened the door before responding to Alan.  
"I think Gambit can work you into my schedule."  
A woman stood behind the door, her right hand holding her left wrist. Remy motioned for her to come in.  
"Great," Alan said. "I'll tell you the details, got a pen ready?"  
"Why don' I stop by your office tomorrow an' we can talk. Got company."  
Alan clicked his tongue. "The women just love you, don't they?"  
"Yeah. Later."  
"Later."  
Remy hung up and made a full analysis of the woman standing in his office. She stood only five foot five inches, a full seven inches short than himself. Her eyes were dark brown. The color of her hair matched her eyes and had been cut short. She appeared to have a very sleek figure, and Remy guessed that she didn't have very much muscle mass. The woman currently was wore a red dress, showing just enough of her breasts to make them distracting. He also noticed that she was making her first analyses of him.  
Remy was tall. He kept his long brown hair back in a ponytail, although he'd thought of cutting it short. He also looked deceivingly thin, making his muscles almost invisible while he was dressed. His eyes were blue as sapphires, giving him the appearance of innocents. He loved that.  
"May I help you Miss.?"  
"Lenshirr. Wanda Lenshirr. Pietro's sister."  
"I wasn't aware that he had a sister."  
"A sister, and a car, both waiting for your company."  
Remy went to the window and looked down to the street. A white limo waited outside. The thief didn't like it. He preferred to do business then party, not the other way around.  
"Will you be joining me, or should I tell my brother that there was no chip," Wanda asked. Her arms were now folded. She was obviously in a hurry.  
"I've got it. Give me one second though."  
Gambit went to his desk drawer and opened it. Hundred's of decks of cards literally filled the drawer. He pulled out four decks, placing on up either sleeve of his trench coat and in either of his inside pockets. The thief then grabbed the chip and put it in his right inside pocket and walked towards Wanda. He held out his arm for a moment, waiting for her to take it. Wanda did not.  
Instead she turned and walked into the hallway of Remy's apartment building. He locked it as soon as they left and then turned back to her.  
"Bad neighborhood," Remy said with a smile. "Lot of thieves round here."  
Wanda did not laugh at his joke. She turned again and led him down the stairs and into the white limo.  
  
Wanda had taken Remy to an Italian restaurant and to an after diner club before bringing him back to meet with Pietro. The Cajun was acting very intoxicated, and Wanda made no effort to hide her distaste for his company. She was glad that Pietro had only hired Remy for one job. His cigarette smoking made her want to gag, and once more, she hated being his baby sitter.  
Now the limo pulled into Pietro's warehouse. The driver pulled it to a stop and opened the door for the two of them. Remy was laughing drunkenly as he stepped out of the limo. Wanda sat the warehouse just as she had left it. Lots of boxes piled one on top of another filled with valuables from around the world. On the right side there were several racecars as well as two motorcycles. The ceiling was covered with florescent lights. The floor was hard concrete.  
Several of Pietro's guards stood around him, each holding automatic rifles pointing at Gambit. A final computer technician sat in a fold out chair at a card table with a desktop computer hooked up and ready to work.  
"The fabled Remy LeBeau," Pietro said as he walked towards them. "An honor." He extended his hand towards the thief. "I am Pietro, but my friends call me Quicksilver."  
Remy shook his hands. Wanda never tired of watching her brother talk down to people and kiss their ass at the same time. He was so good at it, and no one ever caught on.  
Quicksilver stood six feet tall, and although he was only twenty-four years old his hair was still completely white. His complexion was slightly darker than hers, making him look almost Hispanic. For years he had been an all star track runner, and now (along with Wanda) he sold stolen goods on the black market.  
"Now, to business," Quicksilver said. "You have the chip?"  
"Do you have the money?"  
Quicksilver snapped his fingers and the biggest of the guards brought over a suitcase. As it opened Wanda could see Remy's eyes reflecting the cash inside.  
"The chip," Quicksilver repeated.  
Remy handed it to the guard at the same time he received the suitcase. He turned quickly, moving back to the limo while the guard brought the chip back to the computer technician.  
"Does it work?" Quicksilver asked after a few seconds, before Remy got to the car.  
"No. This is just a blank chip," the technician replied.  
  
Gambit could hear the guns cocking behind. He knew what that meant, busted. "Where's my chip?" Quicksilver asked, his voice ringing with anger.  
"I still have it. Once I've got home, safely, I'll tell you where it is."  
"You'll tell him now you lush Cajun!" Wanda ordered.  
Gambit smiled, his act had worked. She truly believed he was drunk. "Alright," he said, putting the brief case down. He turned slowly and reached into his back pocket. As he did the guns cocked again and Gambit looked at Quicksilver. "Wan' me to get this t'ing or no?"  
"Take off your coat, we'll get it."  
Gambit did as he was told, removing his trench coat. When it was off he still held two decks of cards in his hands.  
"Shoot him!" Wanda screamed too late.  
Gambit had already charged the top cards on either deck and sent them flying. The explosion was meant to knock the guards off their feet, not kill them. And it did just that, giving him just enough time to grab his jacket and jump behind the limo. A chorus of bullets shot the car as the thief put on his trench coat. Glass chattered, bullets whizzed through the air, some close enough so that Gambit could feel their wind blowing through his hair, but most were not.  
He waited for them to start to reload before he stood up again. Gambit turned; ready to throw another two charged cards. Quicksilver was his first target. Gambit through the cards, but to his surprise they both missed. Quicksilver literally ran around the cards as they approached him, jumping over the limo and knocking Gambit backwards three feet. The remaining cards fell from Gambit's hands and onto the floor. He didn't have time to locate them before Quicksilver was attacking again.  
This time he picked Gambit up and ran him to the nearest wall, then spun him around and let the thief fly through the air. Gambit groaned as he hit the ground. Quicksilver moved in for his third attack. This time the Cajun had enough time to reach behind his back and pulled out his other weapon. Gambit waited, knowing that Quicksilver would think that he held only a pipe. As he approached Gambit pressed a single button, allowing the pipe to extend and become a staff. Quicksilver ran into it full force, and Gambit could hear him groaning as the pipe knocked the wind out of his attacker.  
Gambit did not let Quicksilver get another change to attack. He kicked Quicksilver in the head, instantly knocking him out, then did a quick assessment of the room.  
The guards were huddled together. They looked ready to fire but weren't shooting yet. Probably afraid to hit their boss. He didn't care. Wanda was nowhere to be seen, which made Gambit nervous. He didn't want her attacking him when he wasn't looking. But he didn't have time to look for her; the guards' were looking more and more brave. Soon they would open fire, disregarding their chances of hitting their boss.  
Gambit put away his staff and jumped behind the nearest group of boxes and again could hear the guards shooting at him. This time they did not spend all of their bullets. They waited until they had a shot. That was good enough for the thief.  
The Cajun jumped to the nearest motorcycle and started it. He started to drive, ducking the bullets that were being shot at him. Gambit leaned in low, picking up the briefcase as he passed. He hit quicksilver with the briefcase as he passed him and went for the door.  
Gambit looked back, half expecting for Quicksilver or one of his men to be following him, but they weren't. Gambit smiled. He'd gotten away with the cash.  
  
Hank McCoy had never seen the appeal of gambling until Logan had taught him poker. Hank also knew never to bet money with Logan. Logan could sense the slightest change in body temperature, could smell the least bit of perspiration, and notice the smallest of tells. For this reason Hank McCoy could never win a poker game against the mutant known as Wolverine.  
Tonight, however, Hank, Kurt and Logan were playing poker, as they did every Saturday night. The stakes, who could hold onto their potato chips the longest. Hank believed that Kurt did not get the point, for he continued to eat his chips throughout the game. That continued to annoy (and distract) Logan from the card game, giving Hank and Kurt their edge back.  
It was Kurt's turn to shuffle the cards. As he fumbled them in his three-fingered hands Scott walked into the room. Scott was wearing his visor still. He always wore it around the mansion. He waved to them weakly then continued to the refrigerator.  
"Want to join us, Scott?" Hank asked.  
"No, no thanks," Scott said as he pulled out a container of bottled apple juice. "I've got to watch the kids. You know, they've been having their little night adventures."  
"I can check on them periodically," Kurt said with a smile.  
"Side from that, the elf can get upstairs faster than any of us," Logan said, grinning.  
Kurt laughed when people called him an elf, and Hank knew there was nothing he could do about it when Logan insulted him.  
"Take a seat," Hank said, changing the subject from Kurt's physical appearance. Hank McCoy wasn't much as fare as looks went himself. Two years ago, when things were at their worst, Hank had been involved with a chemical accident, changing his physical appearance. Now he was a two hundred and fifty pound muscle mass of blue fur. The mutation had caused him to have a terrible under bite, leaving his lower fang like teeth showing almost all of the time. His eyes had turned the same color of Kurt's, bright yellow. Hank was a mutant before, although then his mutation was not evident. Before he looked somewhat human.  
"You gonna deal, elf?" Wolverine asked impatiently.  
"Is he going to play or not?" Kurt asked, looking up at Scott.  
"I'll play for a few hands. But I've got to check on the kids from time to time."  
"I can handle that no problem," Kurt said with a smile. He finished dealing the cards to the others then disappeared with a quiet poof.  
  
Remy opened the suitcase and looked inside. The money was there, sure enough. He picked up one of the piles and fanned through it. The top bill was okay, but the rest was just blank slips of green died paper. They had planned to screw him since the beginning. He groaned in frustration then noticed something else. There was a tracking device inside of the case. Remy dropped it to the ground and never looked back. By the time they'd find it, he'd be long gone. He now had two orders of business, discarding the chip and finding out what Alan wanted. Right now Remy planned on sleeping though. He'd had a long day. And he assumed that the next day would be just as long.  
He most of the way to his hideout, leaving the motorcycle in a parking garage just in case it too had a tracking device on it. This was a hideout even Alan didn't know about, and Remy trusted Alan with his life. No one knew about it except the thief, and he intended on keeping it that way.  
Remy wasn't sure what this place had originally been. From the outside it looked almost like a prison, but inside there was more. One large room connected the twelve others. Two of the other rooms were bathrooms (one marked men's and the other marked women's), two seemed to be some sort of dressing room, one a kitchen and dining room and the remaining seven had cots in them. The larges of the rooms had a carousel in the middle of it. Most of the windows had been broken, but Remy didn't mind a few bugs in his place.  
He had restored the electricity himself. He had also boarded up the windows so that no one would notice any lights he turned on. The thief had cleaned up most of the inside, and counted this as his place of tranquility.  
The building was surrounded by buoy, and Remy had made the only bridge to it. Sometimes Remy would run into baby alligators, but he would merely take them outside and release them into the wild. No adults had ever come in, thankfully.  
It took Remy only a half an hour to get ready for bed. He stripped down to his boxers and crawled under the covers. His last thoughts before he went to sleep were about Quicksilver, and how Remy wished he had killed him.  
  
Remy woke the following morning before dawn. He could smell the morning scents of the buoy, and it smelt good. Remy got up, and dressed, then went into the kitchen to fix himself breakfast. The meal was large, but he always had a large breakfast. A Cajun Omelets prepared with red peppers, Tabasco sauce and some onions for flavor. Remy wasn't sure if it was an actual recipe, but it tasted good. Then on the side nice crisp bacon, homemade hash browns, toast with marmalade (never jelly or jams), three flapjacks, a cup of orange juice and a cup of apple juice just for good measure. It took him close to an hour to eat all that he had prepared.  
He knew that if anyone were watching him it would appear that he was over eating, but Remy had planned his breakfasts to sustain him for the entire day and most of the night, if need be. He rarely at anything more than a small something for lunch, and diner was usually only composed of light meal and wine. No side orders, no entrées, just the meal.  
When Remy arrived at Alan's office it was nearly nine o'clock. Alan was there, of course. Alan was always there. Remy couldn't remember one time that Alan hadn't been in his office. And the thief had known Alan for years.  
Alan wasn't very tall, only five foot one. He had a French mustache and a slick hairstyle. The man smoked cigars. And if he wasn't smoking when Remy entered the room he lit one within the first five minutes of their conversation. His voice rasped, but that didn't bother Remy, the two of them had never hit a karaoke bar together.  
"Remy!" Alan rasped as the thief walked into his office. He stood up and walked across the room to give his friend a hug.  
"How are you Alan?"  
"I'm fine!" Alan said, now making his way back to his chair. "I'm better than fine! I'm great, Remy." Alan smelt of smoke and liquor already. Remy guessed that it had already been a good day. "It's just these Russian's from up north. God, Remy, I hate these Russians! They don't know how to do squat except be annoying. Not like you my boy."  
"Thank you."  
Alan lit up a cigar, and in turn Gambit lit one of his cigarettes.  
"You sure you don't want to go up north? You know, take out some of these Russians?"  
"I think you've forgotten which guild I work for."  
"Come on. You've never thought about charging one of your cards and Bang!"  
"If you called me here for that, Alan, I'll save you the trouble. No."  
"Alright. alright. Geeze, you can't blame me for asking. Down to business. Drink?"  
"No."  
"Alright. There's this school, in Westchester New York. The owner's had some pretty wealthy students graduate. One of these former students has just donated an original Monet... beautiful piece of work. I know a local guy who's offering half a million of the painting. You steal it, I take a ten percent finders fee."  
"You got anything on the school?"  
  
"Just a name." Alan started to dig through the papers on his desk. Remy had never seen the order behind the papers, but Alan swore it was there. After about a minute of searching Alan pulled out a small note to himself. "Here it is," Alan said, smiling with his cigar clenched tightly in his mouth. "'Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters.'"  
"That name sounds familiar. Where have I heard it before?"  
"Beats me, pal."  
Gambit reached over the table and took the paper from his friend. He stood up and started for the door, then paused.  
"Hey Alan, see if you can find a buyer for a piece of equipment I just stumbled on."  
"Really? What is it?"  
"I donno. That's another thing you gotta check. Find out what they were doing at Genosha, just of the coast of Georgia. Then start taking bids for the technology."  
Alan smiled. "Do I smell dollar bills?"  
"I think you smell lot of dollar bills."  
Alan let out a wheezing laugh and opened up his laptop. Remy knew better than to disrupt the man while he was working. He let himself out quietly and started for his car. It had been a long time since the Cajun had been to New York.  
* * *  
Warren Worthington III had graduated from Xavier's school for the gifted three years ago. At the time he had been offered a position with the X-Men, but turned it down. Warren believed that he had nothing to offer in the crime-fighting group, but had made a significant impact in the world as a single-manned rescuer. On these occasions he was known as "Angel" because of his feathery wings.  
Now he sat in Xavier's office. Across from Warren sat his mentor, and (in Warren's regards) a good friend. Xavier sat with his fingers crossed. He looked serious, but Charles Xavier always looked serious.  
"What is it you've come here to talk about Warren? You've already done a great good with that painting you donated, please don't say you've got another gift," Xavier asked.  
"I'm only trying to help. I know that the internist alone on your wealth could support twice as many students here as you have now."  
Xavier nodded. Warren wasn't sure if he enjoyed the flattery or not.  
"There's a problem brewing, Charles," Warren said. "Your X-Men's type of problem."  
"What's that?" Xavier asked.  
I don't dare speak it, Warren thought, hoping the Xavier would pick up on his thought patterns.  
Go on, Warren heard Xavier say, although his lips did not move.  
One of your old nemeses has started to resurface. Do you remember William Stryker?  
Warren could tell by the look on Xavier's face that he did.  
I don't know how, Warren continued, but somehow he managed to escape from that military incident back then. I've heard that he's been selling that 'mind control' drug on the black market to get money. I don't know where he is, but if I were you, I'd keep my eyes peeled for him. Might even think about using Cerebro to kill him.  
Xavier glared at Warren now. Warren knew that Xavier would never purposely kill another, mutant or otherwise. Not unless he absolutely had to in order to save one of his students lives.  
Have you told anyone here about this?  
No. The rest think this is just a social call.  
Good. Keep it that way.  
Warren nodded. "I'll let you know about any further developments in that field when I get information," he said, confident that no one who was listening would understand what he was talking about. He stood up and shook the professor's hand. "I'll be in touch."  
"Thank you Warren."  
With that Warren left Xavier in his study alone. He felt better about himself.  
  
Rogue looked at two of the students making out and it made her slightly sick to her stomach. She knew that the feeling was envy, and she had thought that she was past that stage in her life. In her heart Rogue knew that she would never learn to live without envy of others. She had kissed before, but the experience was less than satisfying. Rogue longed to be human, normal, but knew that dream would never come true.  
She turned away, trying to think of something else. But in truth Rogue thought about her power every second of every day, if only a little. She started down the halls of the school. It was Saturday, and she loved Saturdays, especially in the summer time. Some of the more fortunate students went home on the weekends, leaving Rogue with more space for herself. Even her roommate, Jubilee, went home on Saturdays to visit her foster parents.  
Rogue had met them, once. They seemed nice enough. They accepted Jubilee's mutation, unlike her own father. Freak, that was the word her used. He spoke to her as if she had chosen to become a mutant. She'd not spoken to her family for almost three years. Not since she started running.  
Urg! Rogue thought to herself. It's a beautiful Saturday after noon; you don't have any classes, just stop complicating things, will you?  
She turned into the auto garage, hoping to find Ken. He could always make her laugh, even after she and Bobby fought. Ken, however, was not in the garage. Instead Rogue found Scott Summers, the mutant she had come to know as Cyclops.  
"Professor Summers?" Rogue said.  
He appeared stunned. Apparently he hadn't heard her coming. Scott moved his head out from the Honda sports can and looked at her. "Yes Rogue?" he asked.  
She knew the look on his face. He was thinking about Jean, again. Rogue didn't need to absorb Scott's memories to know he thought of Jean more than he wanted to admit. She couldn't blame him. Despite their problems, Rogue couldn't image what she would do if something happened to Bobby.  
"I was just looking for Ken," she said. "You haven't seen him around, have you?"  
"No," Scott said. "But if I do, I'll let you know, okay?"  
She nodded. But didn't move.  
"Is there anything else?" Scott asked.  
Rogue moved into the garage. She picked up one of the ratchets from the toolbox and started playing with it. "You wanna talk bout it?" she offered, not truly knowing why. She was years younger than Scott. And what's more, he was her teacher. But Rogue felt she owed it to him. He had saved her life on more than one occasion, and the least she could do was lend a sympatric ear.  
Scott, however, chuckled at the question. "You know, I think that Bobby's looking for you."  
Rogue sighed. "I'm not sure I want to find him," she confessed.  
"Yeah, relationships are hard like that."  
"Did you and Jean ever. fight?"  
Now Scott sighed. He put down his tools and grabbed a rag, then wiped his hands clean. Finally he sat beside her and spoke again. "Jean and I had our share of fights, yeah. She'd shake the room, I'd scream and shout, and eventually we'd work through it."  
"I wish things were that easy."  
"They weren't."  
"God, why are boys so confusing?"  
Scott chuckled. "Maybe you should as Ororo about that."  
Rogue laughed. She knew that line. It translated to "Your heading into the 'girl talk' area."  
"You miss Jean?" Rogue asked, not wanting to change the topic.  
"Every day. There are sometimes when I can feel here, telepathically, you know? Sometimes when I slept she would send me images, and I'd have the best dreams. I slept the best those nights, just knowing that she was there."  
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"  
"No need to apologize. It's just. I get those feeling sometimes still. Maybe I'm just going crazy."  
"Maybe there's still a part of her with you."  
Scott nodded. He looked down. "Do you realize we're probably two of the few people in the world who are sitting on a fifty five Mercedes right now?" he joked.  
She looked down and almost gasped. The Mercedes was a silver convertible, in perfect condition thanks to Scott's Mechanical skills. Had Rogue been thinking she would never have dared to lean against it.  
Rogue looked up at Scott, and knew that his crack about the Mercedes was just an excuse to stop talking about Jean. She took the hint. "I guess I'll go and find Ken now. Thanks for the talk, Professor Summers."  
"Any time."  
With that Rogue stood up and walked out of the garage. She continued down the halls, smiling herself. Finally, she found Ken in the recreation room.  
  
* * *  
Alan Stone sat at his desk working on his laptop when someone knocked at the door. "It's open!" Alan screamed, not bothering to get up. He glanced at the door and saw three men come inside.  
The first, and the one in the lead, was dressed in all black. He stood two inches taller than the other two and had brown hair in a crew cut. The man wore a belt, which had two knight sticks in a holster. His eyes were hidden by black sunglasses, and Alan instantly knew he was in charge of the other two.  
The one of the leader's left was a tall man too, standing about six feet tall. He was leaner than the first, more bone than muscle. His hair was bright red and he held a cigarette in his teeth, lit and smoking. His eyes were blue. It did not appear that this guard carried any weapons.  
The third of the men (to the leaders right) also was about six feet tall. He was muscular, and obviously enjoyed showing it off. The guard wore a white wife beater with jeans. His hair was the same color as his employers, but was cut in a Mohawk instead of a crew cut. His eyes were dark brown, almost black. He wore a gold chain around his neck.  
Alan could tell that they had money. His only question was how much money and how they intended on spending it.  
"What can I do for you boys?" Alan asked pleasantly, shutting down his laptop.  
"The chip, where is it?" the leader asked.  
"What chip?" Alan replied.  
"The chip that was stolen from Genosha."  
"What would you be offering for it?"  
"Your life."  
Alan's face turned grim. No one came into his office and threatened his life. No one. He turned towards the red haired guard. "No smoking in my office."  
The guard turned towards his master, and received a look. Without a word the guard took the cigarette out of his mouth with his right hand and extinguished it with his left. He then looked back at Alan.  
Alan waited a second, then reached into his cigar box and lit one. "I'm afraid I can't sell the chip for that price," Alan said.  
"Mr. Stone," the leader started, "I will not ask again. Give me the chip."  
"Beat it."  
The leader turned towards the red haired guard. "Inferred," he said, his voice so faint it seemed fare away, but even at that pitch Alan could tell that there was no remorse in his voice.  
Alan could feel the front of his body getting hot, and within a second he was propelled against the wall. The plaster buckled a little under his weight. He looked at his desk, just in time to see his letter opener fly across the room and go straight into his right hand, the wound instantly cauterizing and closing around the blade.  
Now the leader moved forward. He took one hand to Alan's desk and threw it to the side. Alan gasped.  
"Where is the chip that Remy LeBeau stole from Genosha?" the leader asked again.  
"I don't know," Alan confessed.  
"Where is the chip that Gambit stole from Genosha?" the leader repeated.  
"Go to-"  
Before Alan could finish his sentence the leader punched him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him.  
"Mr. Stone, this isn't going to end well for you. However, when you tell me what I need to know I promise I'll end it quick. Now, where is the chip? Where is Gambit?"  
"I don't know. I haven't seen him for about three weeks. I think he took some sort of vacation in Paris."  
The leader turned and walked towards the door. "Razor Burn," he said.  
With that the guard with the Mohawk stepped forward. The guard held up his right hand, and Alan could hear bones crunching. Over the coarse of two seconds the mutant's hand had become a spike. Alan's eyes widened in horror as the spike rammed through his left shoulder.  
He arched his head up and screamed as loud as he could.  
"Where is the chip, Mr. Stone?" the leader repeated.  
Alan looked down at his attacker and spit in the mutants face.  
"We're not leaving here until we find out everything you know, Mr. Stone. Where is Gambit?"  
"I don't know."  
"I see." The leader stepped forward and grabbed Alan under his chin. Alan could feel the leader's grip getting tighter. The leader moved Alan's head so he could see nothing but the leader's face. Now, the attacker removed his sunglasses, and Alan could see for the first time his green glowing eyes. "I want you to remember this view for the last minutes of your life, Mr. Stone. I'm going to be the one who kills you." The leader turned his attention from Alan to Razor Burn. "Razor Burn," he started. "Take his eyes."  
Alan tried to fight his way free but the leader's grip was too tight. He looked up, and all he could see was the glowing green eyes of his attacker.  
  
Chapter Three  
  
Ororo Monroe had just got out of the shower when she heard someone knock on her door. "Come back in a few minutes please," she called. She dropped the towel from her naked body and went to her dresser, pulling out a white silk shirt and black pants to match. The shirt was almost as light as her hair.  
Knock, knock!  
This time Ororo at least had some cloths on. She grabbed her shirt from off her bed and struggled to put it on in a hurry. "One second!" she cried through the door. This better be important.  
The teacher known as "Storm" opened the door dividing her room and the hallway. She looked around, seeing no one.  
"Kurt, if this is your idea of a game I'm not in the mood," she warned.  
Ororo closed the door again, and then fetched the towel from her chair. She started rubbing the towel violently against her hair, desperate to dry it.  
Knock, knock!  
"Kurt." Ororo said. She could feel her temper going. He played these games too much for her enjoyment. Again she got up and went to the door, and again she opened it. Nothing except the oak walls and the navy blue carpets.  
"Kurt, is that you?" Ororo asked. "Ken? Kitty?"  
No response. A faint wind howled through the halls of the mansion. Ororo could barely see anything in the darkness.  
"Hank?"  
Nothing.  
Ororo closed her doors and locked them tight, then turned back to her room. To her surprise her room was not as it had been before. It was ablaze, almost totally consumed by fire and ash. Ororo's pictures from home had all folded and bubbled over. Her make-up lay in liquid puddle on her dresser. Her clothes incased in flames. And in the center of all of it, Ororo saw a single solitary figure, someone who could not possibly be there.  
Jean.  
But Jean appeared different than before. Only her pupils reflected the flames that had spread throughout the room. Jean did not stand, but instead hovered a foot off the floor beneath her. Flames played between Jean's torso and her outstretched arms. Some of the flames danced at her fingertips. And there was one other difference between the person who Ororo now saw and the Jean she had known.  
This person made Ororo absolutely terrified.  
"Ororo," the creature said, her voice lifeless and bitter. "Help me!"  
Ororo sat up and screamed. She looked around, seeing the Kurt was lying next to her. He was not sleeping, just keeping her company while she slept, as she had asked him to.  
"Are you alright?" Kurt asked; his German accent working it's best to be concerned.  
"Yes," Ororo replied. "I just- Just some nightmares."  
"Would you like me to leave?" Kurt asked.  
"No. You don't have to." She reclined and put her head against the pillow. "You can sleep here if you want."  
Kurt smiled immaturely. Normally Ororo would give him a lecturing look for that smile, but tonight she didn't have the strength. She glanced over at the alarm clock on her bed stand. It was hard to believe that it was only quarter past ten.  
"I will stay here just until you go back to sleep," Kurt informed her. "Then I will go back to my room."  
She nodded. "Thank you, Kurt," Ororo said. She closed her eyes, ignoring anything he had to say after that.  
  
Ken Neil had been told not to let his roommate know that he was sneaking out that evening. Rogue, he, Kitty and Peter were all going out on a private outing arranged by Rogue. Ken didn't know why she didn't want Bobby coming along tonight, but decided that it was for the best. Bobby had been getting on Ken's nerves lately, and he was looking forward to going out without his roommate.  
Now the four of them walked out of the mall. Rogue and Kitty had taken Peter and Ken shopping. While the experience was fun for the girls it was evident that neither of the boys were having fun. That did not seem to rush Rogue or Kitty.  
The four of them approached the car and found that there was someone sitting on their bumper. He didn't appear too much older than any of them. His hair was brown, cut close to his head. His eyes were blue.  
"You mind getting off the car?" Peter asked.  
The man looked up at them. He smiled, half sneering at the same time. "How can a mutant such as you afford such a nice car?" the man asked.  
"Who said we were mutants?" Ken asked.  
The man turned his attention to Ken. Instantly Ken was filled with a fear that he had never known before. He took a step back instinctively. Ken had never been much of a fighter.  
"I can smell the putrid odor of a mutant a hundred yards away."  
"Look, we don't want any trouble," Rogue started. "Just let us get in our car and we'll be on our way."  
"You don't want trouble?" the man started. "Too late. You have found trouble. You have found Reaper."  
Without another word he stood up and punched Ken in the gut, sending him flying backwards. Ken felt himself smash into a car and heard an alarm start to blare. He looked up just in time to see Reaper hit Rogue in the face, then kick her right behind her knees, causing her to fall to the ground.  
Peter stepped forward and punched at Reaper, but Reaper caught punch easily. Ken's eyes widened as he saw Reaper's hand start to grow metal, just as Peter had done so many times before. Reaper's other arm became metal as well, and he punched Peter in the jaw. Peter fell, stunned by the metallic punch.  
Reaper's attention now focused on Kitty. He swung at her. As he did Kitty used her mutant power. Reaper fell right through her and his blow landed on the nearest car. His hand punched through the body of the car like a hot knife through butter. He turned around to swing at her again, but Peter was already at his feet.  
Peter jumped in between Kitty and Reaper. Reaper punched Peter in the chest, but Peter did not fall down this time. He punched back.  
Ken again was surprised when Peter fell through Reaper as Reaper had fallen through Kitty only moments before. Reaper turned around and punched Peter again in the face. Again. Now Peter's nose was bleeding.  
"Get off of him!" Rogue shouted.  
She had her gloves off now and touched Reaper's bare face. Reaper turned to her, his eyes cold and vengeful. Ken could see the veins in Rogue's face swell; her eyes went wide with fright.  
Ken finally stood up and ran to the other side of the parking lot. He dove with all his strength into Rogue, separating her touch from Reaper's. Ken looked up, holding Rogue's now unconscious body in his arms. Reaper stared down at him. He raised a metal fist. Ken closed his eyes, preparing himself for a final fatal blow from about.  
None came.  
"Kitty, get help!" Peter screamed.  
Ken opened his eyes. Peter was holding Reaper from behind, but the hold did not last for long. Reaper swung Peter around, knocking him into one of the cement pillars. Ken could hear Peter's arm breaking under the pressure. But Peter was not ready to quit. He stood up to take another swing at Reaper.  
Reaper (whose skin had returned to normal) merely put one hand on Peter's forehead. Peter's veins started swelling just as Rogue's had. His arms dropped limp to his sides.  
Ken could hear sirens approaching. He started to feel relieved, but then his attention turned back to Reaper. The attacking mutant lifted Ken up and slammed in him into the back of their car. Ken looked directly into Reaper's eyes, and again he saw the hatred that he had seen before.  
"I know about your sanctuary, Mutant!" Reaper started. "Tell your X- Men that their days are numbered."  
With that he released Ken. Ken sat up and watched as Reaper ran to the nearest wall and right through it, just like Kitty would do. Mall security was already at the scene. Kitty was in the back of the mock squad car. She got out and rushed to Peter's side.  
"We're gonna need an ambulance down here right away," one of the guards said into his radio.  
Ken bent down and grabbed Kitty by the arm. "We have to call the professor right away," he said.  
  
Logan had answered the phone in the middle of the night. It had been his unpleasant duty to tell the professor what had happened to four of his students. He had helped Xavier to the car and watched as Scott drove him to the hospital. Some of the students had caught bits and pieces of information about what happened. All of the teachers knew.  
Logan had just finished taking a headcount, to make sure that no one else was missing. Every student was accounted for, either at home for the weekend or in his or her dorms. He had met with Kurt, Hank and Ororo, and the four of them had decided the best coarse of action was to tell the truth; four students had been attacked by a mutant hater in a mall-parking garage.  
They had not told who was attacked, or the nature of their attack. Just that the attack had taken place. Logan now sat in the courtyard smoking a three-day-old cigar. He was worried, although he'd never confess that to another human being. He knew the students who had been attacked, and also knew that they could handle themselves. If this one attacker could hurt them so badly that they needed to be hospitalized, the entire school could be in danger.  
But that's not gonna happen again, Logan thought to himself. Not on my watch.  
A twig snapped behind him and Logan turned, his claws already outstretched. Kurt stood with his hands in the air as if we were about to give up. "I'm sorry," Kurt said. "I did not mean to startle you."  
"What is it elf-boy?" Logan asked, retracting his claws.  
Kurt took another step forward. He smelt like Ororo. Logan smirked to himself, knowing that the two had been sleeping together. Not doing anything, just sleeping. He then cursed himself for not knowing that Kurt was there sooner. Logan knew himself to be better than that. He should've been more aware.  
"A lot of the students are up. They're having a meeting in the wreck room. Hank asked me to find you."  
"So you did."  
"Aren't you coming?"  
Kurt held out his three-fingered hand and smiled.  
"I'll walk."  
Kurt nodded in acknowledgment, and then disappeared into a sulfur- scented cloud of smoke. Logan hated that smell almost as much as he hated teleporting with Kurt. He extinguished his cigar on the ashtray that Xavier had put in especially for him, and then walked into the mansion. It only took him a minute to get to the wreck room.  
Before he was even half way there he could tell that there was no order to this meeting. Everyone was talking at once. Hank and Ororo were trying to get the students calm enough to listen. The students were talking amongst themselves, telling mixes of all of the rumors that they had heard.  
Logan walked inside of the room. On one side of the room, just in front of the television, stood Kurt, Hank and Ororo. The students took up most of the rest of the space. They sat everywhere, from the couch to the floor to the pool table and even leaning against the twin pinball machines. One of the students had actually attached herself to a wall just over the doorway for a better view. She smiled back at Logan when he looked up at her, but clearly understood his facial expression.  
Get down from there!  
The student dropped to the floor and leaned up against the doorway.  
Logan walked over to Hank. "You planning on getting this meeting started, Beast? Or are you just going to let them decide what they want to believe?"  
"I'm trying," Hank said. "They aren't the easiest group of children to settle down."  
"Watch a pro." Logan turned around a shouted as loud as he could. "Quiet all of you!"  
The room silenced. The student's attention was returned totally. Tracy Roarke burped abruptly, breaking the silence. She covered her mouth and whispered, "Sorry." Logan was glad that she glad that she only whispered.  
"Alright," Hank started. "As most of you know there were several students who were attacked tonight. Peter Rasputin, Kitty Pryde, Ken Neil and Rogue have all been transferred to a nearby hospital. We don't know what type of injuries they have sustained. For now no one is to leave the school grounds unless accompanied by their guardian or a teacher. When the professor and Scott return we will decide on the best coarse of action."  
"How did they hurt Peter?" Samuel Guthrie asked. "The guy's solid steal, when he wants to be."  
"We're not sure if Peter was actually injured," Hank repeated. "As I said, reports are sketchy. The only contact any of us has had is through a doctor as the hospital where these four students are staying."  
The students started to grumble amongst themselves now.  
"Alright, alright," Ororo started. "If everyone would please just return to your rooms we'll talk about any developments in the morning. If you need to speak with anyone please speak to either mister McCoy or myself."  
The student stood up and started back for their rooms. They obviously didn't like the answers that they had been given, but there was nothing else anyone could do. At last only the four adults and Bobby drake remained.  
Bobby stood up and walked towards them. "I didn't want to say it before," Bobby said. "I didn't want to frighten anyone, but are any of them. dead?"  
Hank sighed deeply. "We honestly don't know, Bobby. We'll inform everyone on conditions in the morning."  
"Rogue?" Bobby asked.  
"We don't know kid," Logan said. He had lost his patience now for anything that Bobby would have to say.  
Bobby nodded and walked out of the wreck room.  
The others were looking at him accusingly. Logan made no attempt to excuse his actions. He walked past the other three. There was no reason for him to explain himself to them. None at all.  
  
Rogue could tell that Xavier was furious when she opened her eyes. At first she didn't know where she was. She could feel something was sticking up her nose. The faint flutter of a heart monitor echoed in her ears. And then Rogue figured it out. A hospital. She tried to sit up, the winced with pain. Whatever had hit her had done a good job.  
She tried to think back. She remembered an attacker. What did he call himself? Reaper? Rogue imagined what she was feeling now was what others felt after she had absorbed them. She didn't like it. Her head was killing her. She could feel cold air blowing into her nose, and it made her want to sneeze. Without thinking or saying a word Rogue removed the tubes from her nose then looked around again.  
"Where are the others?" she asked.  
"Ken and Kitty are giving the police a statement. Scott's with them," Xavier replied.  
"What about Peter?"  
"His condition is more serious. He's in intensive care now."  
Rogue felt a knot tie in her stomach. Peter. She suddenly felt angry, even hatred towards the mutant that had attacked them. What did we do to piss him off?  
"Rogue, I told you, and the others, no leaving the school premises as part of your detention," Xavier said, his voice was firm. She could not tell if he was more concerned or angry.  
"Look, I. I just thought it would be fun-"  
"Fun? Peter almost got killed tonight."  
"How was I supposed to know that?"  
"Did you four think that maybe I make rules for a reason?"  
"We've never heard of anyone like him! How were we supposed to-"  
"You shouldn't have been there in the first place! You, Kitty, Ken and Peter, if he survives-"  
"No, don't. I was the one who suggested we go out, it was my fault."  
"They can make up their own minds. They knew that they weren't supposed to go out. The four are hereby suspended from class until I decide otherwise."  
"Professor, you can't!"  
"I can't have the four of you causing so much trouble! If I make exceptions for you-"  
"Fine, don't make exceptions for me! But don't punish the others for my mistakes!"  
Xavier sighed deeply. "It was there mistake too," he started. "You four may remain at the school but you are not to interact with the other students, is that understood?" He paused, and then leaned forward. Rogue had never seen him so cross. "Is that understood?" he asked again.  
"What if I say no?" Rogue asked.  
"Then you can leave. It's as simple as that." He paused, then added, "All of you. You make the choice for the other three as well."  
Rogue stared at the professor. In that moment she found herself hating the man who had taken care of her like a father. It wasn't fair. He was discriminating against all of them because of her mistake. She nodded yes. He knew that she would not dare get the others expelled.  
"Good. The doctor says you can come home tonight. Get dressed, I'll be waiting outside."  
With that Xavier wheeled himself out of the hospital room.  
Rogue stood up and removed the hospital gown. Her cloths had been lied out and neatly folded for her. It took her only moments to get dressed, but Rogue stayed in the room for longer. She needed time to cool down, to stop feeling so angry with the professor for putting her in the position she was in. Time heals most wounds, but Rogue did not believe she could ever fully forgive Xavier for the decision he made her make that night.  
  
They had driven home without saying a word to each other. No one spoke. Upon arriving at the school Xavier told the three that they could sleep in their old rooms for the night, but in the morning he would find them more solitary rooms. Kitty finally went into her own room, not bothering to use the door. She didn't want to wake up Tracy, her friend the Siren.  
Tracy was still awake. She held a flashlight in one hand and a book in the other, eagerly awaiting her roommate's return. Tracy closed the book as soon as Kitty entered the room and looked at her.  
"What happened?" Tracy asked, eager to hear the latest gossip before anyone else did.  
"Nothing. just never mind and go to sleep."  
Kitty changed into her nightshirt and climbed under her covers.  
"Are you alright?" Tracy asked, her voice now concerned instead of curious.  
"Yeah. Look, just go to sleep Tracy. I don't want you getting into trouble too."  
"How bad is it?"  
"Just about the worst."  
Kitty turned away from her friend. She could feel tear drops forming at the corner of her eyes. She was worried about Peter, and about her own future. She didn't know if she could ever go to another school, not after all she had been through at the Xavier Institute. Here Kitty felt normal, just a normal student. Everywhere else she was different. A freak. An outcast. A mutant.  
  
Jacob Morghart sat inside of his apartment. He felt that he had done well tonight, but also knew he had made some mistakes. Mistakes he could not make again. He took off his leather jacket and looked at himself in the mirror.  
Jacob could hardly believe he was only twenty years old. From a distance he looked like a thousand other guys, brow hair, brown eyes, six foot one, deceivingly small muscles and a bony face. He was hard to spot in a crowd, and he liked it that way. If he were hard to spot in a crowd then he'd be hard to remember.  
Jacob.!  
He closed his eyes, trying to silence the memories. His eyes caught the family portrait. They looked happy there. Jacob missed those days.  
"I did good tonight, guys. Real good. You'd be proud."  
With that Jacob kissed the tips of his fingers then put his fingers' to the portrait. He stripped the rest of his cloths until he was only in his boxers then climbed into bed.  
There was a problem though. He could still feel those two inside of his head. Jacob had decided that was a side effect of using that girl's mutant power, Rogue's mutant power. It didn't matter much. In time Jacob was confident that their feelings and memories would fade, and he'd again become master of his own domain.  
  
Bobby had heard the news about Rogue, Kitty and Ken at breakfast. He wanted to see her immediately, but they had already been isolated. When the professor threatened to expel anyone who broke that isolation rule, Bobby decided it was best not to push his luck.  
When Jubilee returned to school at ten o'clock he told her what had happened. She listened, nodding as he spoke. She asked no questions, just acknowledged how he spoke.  
"What do we do?" she asked.  
"Nothing," Bobby replied. "Xavier's on the warpath. I've never seen him like this."  
Jubilee sighed. "You know," she started, "despite how wrong this sounds, I can understand where he's coming from."  
"What?"  
"Well, they just broke the rules again when they were already on probation. If we were at any other school, they'd be expelled."  
"I can't believe you just said that."  
"Bobby, I don't like it. I'm just saying-"  
"I can't believe you're taking his side over theirs. Over Ken's!"  
"I'm not taking sides."  
"Grow up, Jubilee. Open your eyes. Xavier is becoming a Nazi, slowly but surely. I for one am not going to stick around and watch everyone here become a mindless drone. a- a mindless X-Man!"  
He stood up and started to walk away from her. Jubilee rushed to his side and grabbed him by the arm. "What's wrong with you?" she demanded.  
"Nothing's wrong with me! I'm grown up! I can see what's wrong with this world!"  
"Bobby stop it! You're sounding like-" She paused and lowered her tone. "You're sounding like John."  
"I'm nothing like him. I'm nothing like he was."  
"Just listen to yourself for a moment. Think about what you're saying."  
Bobby paused. He looked around, observing every part of the courtyard. The hedges behind him. The rose bushes in front of him that were mid-bloom. The birds flying from tree to tree above him.  
"Remember what John was like?" Jubilee asked again.  
Bobby watched the rosebush start to ice over. He wanted to stop it. Make it go back to the way it had been, but he found himself unable to control his powers.  
"Maybe," Bobby started, the rose bush now completely crystallized. "Maybe John was right."  
He turned away from her and continued into the school.  
  
Jubilation Lee stood frozen. She could not believe what her friend had just said. She and Bobby had started school on the same day, and they had been friends ever since. Only how did she believe that Bobby was completely different, and only now did she believe he'd never be the same.  
  
The machines worked surprisingly well considering how much damage the thief had done. Apocalypse was pleased, and emotion he did not express much. The sentinels stood ready for action. Ready to hunt. All they needed was a single chip; just one chip that would bring them all to life (and more importantly allow them to be reprogrammed). Apocalypse knew what they had been originally programmed for: Protection.  
Protection of the human race. Far superior to any weapon that man had thought of before. The Sentinels had the ability to think for themselves, and make command decisions in battle. As they progressed their battle plans would as well. They had been programmed to protect humans against mutants. Mutants like him.  
That mattered little. When he got the chip back he would send the robots into battle with new orders. Three sentinels could destroy an entire metropolitan area in a little over an hour. The weak would die out. The world would be wiped clean.  
He had also equipped them with anti-nuclear defense systems and, more importantly, jet engines on their feet giving them the ability to fly. Soon the old world would die, then he and then the Alliance of Evil would set forth to build a new civilization. One that would be cleansed of impurity. A civilization of the strong.  
"Milord," Soul Breaker started.  
Apocalypse turned to see her.  
"Wraith had just reported to us that he has the location of the thief. He and his men are in pursuit now. They will have the chip for you tonight."  
"Good. Is the arena complete?"  
"Yes sir."  
"Come, let us attend the fight."  
  
Charles Xavier did not need to read the minds of his X-Men to know that they did not approve of his course of action. Going out in the broad daylight was always a risk, but this time it was worse. They had all been told what this mutant could do, and what he had done. If it hadn't been for the police he surely would have killed all of the students.  
Xavier knew that making any sort of move against this new foe was dangerous, dangerous and inevitable. Their only advantage to making the first move was that he did not know they were coming. It was the only answer that Xavier could think of. They would have to try.  
  
Jacob Morghart woke at one o'clock. It was Sunday; he always slept in on Sundays. He got up, pulled on some dirty cloths, and then paused. Something was different. He could still hear the voices from the mutants that he had attacked last night, but there was something more. Mutants were approaching.  
  
Wolverine was moving towards the house they knew to be Reaper's. He looked to his right, barely able to see Cyclops due to the heavy fog that Storm had provided. He could still smell his fellow X-Man.  
He put his hand to an earpiece that Xavier had given to all of them. "Any sign of him?"  
"None on the back side," Storm replied.  
"None here," Cyclops said.  
"There's something wrong," Xavier started. "He knows we're coming."  
  
Reaper came at the woman first. Storm. He smiled. Having the memories from his victims was good for something.  
She turned to face him at the last second, but by then he was already using Xavier's powers against her. His thoughts and hers became one. And in an instant Ororo Monroe became helpless.  
She was inside of a packing crate, only ten years old again. Too young to know of her powers that controlled the weather. Ororo screamed for help, but no one was coming. The crate was getting smaller, and smaller. She could feel herself losing air. She gasped for it.  
Reaper turned. He could see Cyclops approaching. Cyclops fired his beam. Reaper didn't flinch. His body glowed red for a moment, absorbing the optic blast, and then he was normal again.  
Now it was Cyclops's turn.  
"Scott!" Cyclops heard.  
He turned, suddenly stunned. Jean. She was there, unharmed. Alive. Well. In front of him and at Reaper's house. He knew that she had been hurt at one point, but that didn't matter. Not now. She was safe.  
The X-Man started towards her but froze. Wolverine came up behind her. "Lying bitch!" Wolverine screamed as he pulled a knife on her. He grabbed her by her hair and arched her head backwards, then slit his knife along her neck swiftly.  
A thin red line extended from one side of her neck to the other, crimson; the same color as her hair. She reached out her hands for Cyclops. His fingertips could almost touch hers. And then Wolverine threw her to the side.  
Reaper returned his attention to the now terrified Storm. This was going to be a fun day after all.  
  
Wolverine could see Storm cowering and Scott crying before he could see Reaper. He didn't know what was going on, but he was going to stop it. He walked towards Reaper, knowing full well what the professor had said. Someone had to stop this guy, regardless of the fact that the professor wanted him alive.  
A flash of red knocked Wolverine off his feet. He fell backwards and groaned. His healing ability kicked into gear immediately. "Cyclops, what the hell-"  
Before Wolverine had a chance to finish his sentence Cyclops shot at him again, but this time Wolverine dodged the beam. He dove forward and grabbed Scott's goggles, knowing that he would never open his eyes without them.  
"Murderer!" Cyclops shouted. He opened his eyes.  
Wolverine gasped and felt the full force of Cyclops's optic blast. It sent him heaving backwards into a building. Then, he fell to the ground, unconscious.  
I knocked him out, Xavier explained in Wolverine's mind. Quickly, get Reaper while he's not paying attention.  
Wolverine walked to Reaper. He didn't give any notice, but punched him in the back of the head. Reaper groaned and turned his head just in time to receive another punch to the face. But now his eyes were white. Just like Storm's were when she was controlling the weather.  
  
Reaper had intended to finish off Storm first, but was happy he hadn't killed her yet. Her power to control lighting seemed very helpful now as he shot a bolt into Wolverine's body. Wolverine screamed in pain, and all at once the bolt was gone.  
The mutant was on his knees, and Reaper stood above him, triumphant, victorious.  
"I'm going to kill you all, Wolverine," Reaper announced. "And there's nothing you can do about it. But don't be angry, there is one good thing about you dying, at least you'll have your friends to keep you company."  
"No!" Wolverine screamed.  
He lunged upwards, extending three claws from either hand. They dug clean through Reaper's body. He could feel his internal organs punctured and ruined. He smiled.  
"Didn't see that one coming," he said weakly, then used Cyclops's optic blast to knock Wolverine backwards.  
It took Reaper a second to heal. And he could sense Wolverine's power starting. Reaper willed Wolverine's healing factor to stop. Wolverine lay on the ground, defeated. His stomach bleeding profusely from the open burn.  
Stop! Reaper heard someone saying.  
He turned. There was a man in a wheelchair behind him.  
Something was wrong. He was losing concentration on Wolverine and Storm.  
"No!" Reaper said out loud.  
He concentrated harder, but even as he did so the two slipped through his mental grasp. Their powers were being destroyed, and his telepathic link was being lost.  
"You must be a strong mutant, Charles Xavier, to beat me," Reaper said, now knowing that it was the old man in the seat who was stopping him. "I've never met a mutant before who could probe my mind."  
"We don't mean you any harm," Xavier started. "Please, give us a chance to talk. That's all we desire."  
"Talk. Talk is cheap. Talk is weak. You'll talk your was into extinction. As long as a mutant still walks on this earth I'll be stronger than any of you."  
"Jacob, please."  
Jacob.!  
Reaper closed his eyes, trying to force out his past.  
"What happened to you that made you hate us? Just let me in!"  
"No!"  
Reaper wanted to electrocute the old man and blast him at the same time. He hated him more than any mutant he had ever met. More than any he had ever maimed. This would be the first mutant he killed. He was determined.  
"Please," Xavier started. "If you kill me, will that really kill your rage."  
Kitty, get help!  
Reaper couldn't focus. The memories from Rogue and Peter were coming back to him. He could remember birthdays, holidays, going to zoos and on airplanes. He could remember the day that Peter found out his brother had been shot down. He could remember the terror Rogue felt when she was trapped on the Empire State Building two years ago. The attack on the school that happened not long after. Helping the students to safety, and being in the oval office.  
Now new memories started to form. Xavier stood in a room with a man named Eric Lenchirr. They were celebrating the creation of a machine titled Cerebro. He was in a hospital, looking over Eric's son while a daughter was being born. Helping children. So many children. All with one thing in common, they were mutants. He was attending a funeral with an empty coffin for a dear friend named Jean Gray. Helping Scott Summers deal with the loss of his one true love.  
Jacob gasped and fell to his knees. He was weak, and did not know what had happened to him. The mutants were gone. All of them. He felt like vomiting, but at the same time the voices inside of his head would not cease.  
"What's happening to me?" he asked himself.  
  
Chapter Four  
  
Gambit looked at his watch. It was a little before seven, and he had already done all his homework. He'd downloaded the layout of the school to his laptop, going over it by sections. He'd also marked off the most likely place that he would find the Monet. The security system would be difficult, if it were working. Gambit had cut the cables on that during the afternoon when most of the teachers went out.  
It felt kind of wrong stealing from a school. He knew that he should be ashamed of himself, but he wasn't. Work was work, and work with Alan was work that he'd get paid for. He thought back to the chip, wondering for about the twentieth time today what it was and who would want to buy it.  
Questions like that, Gambit knew, would get you killed. Those were the questions that Gambit had never asked before and did not intend to start asking now.  
He drove around the front of the school once more, doubting that anyone had seen him. Finally, satisfied that he knew every inch of the lawn between the gate and the school Gambit drove to a near by parking lot and got out of his car. He lit a cigarette and walked down the street. Still a few hours until he planned to pull the job, enough time for a few tequila shots and a couple of smokes.  
He found a bar not too fare from him and went inside. "Tequila, just give me the bottle," Gambit said.  
"ID?" the bar tender asked.  
Gambit flashed his driver's license. He was only twenty-two years old, but he was old enough. The bar tender came back with the tequila and a shot glass, putting both on the bar. Gambit pulled a twenty out of his wallet and left it on the bar.  
"Keep it."  
"Gracias Senior," the bar tender said, taking his money.  
Gambit thought again about the school. He went over every floor, in every room by memory. He thought over how many students were there, how many teachers, the quick ways in and out of rooms.  
Everything had been covered; everything but the gun factor. One could never tell how many arms a place had until one got there though. And that was something that Gambit noted as acceptable risk.  
  
Too many thoughts. Too many memories. Just shut up. Shut up!  
Everything seemed clear now; too clear. Jacob remembered having his bones replaced with metal and attacking a group of scientists. He remembered the concentration camps of World War II. He remembered going to red sox games and being thrown out of his house. But they were not his memories. They were almost, synthetic. And the memories had been getting faster as the night progressed.  
What did you do to me? he thought to Xavier, half expecting a mental response.  
None came. He had been cut off from the mutant.  
Not for long, Jacob thought now. If he won't answer me, I'll go to him.  
There were some advantages to knowing other peoples memories. He grabbed his keys and went for his car.  
It was time to visit the Xavier School.  
* * *  
Time indeed. Gambit looked at his watch. It was still a little before ten, but almost every light in the school was off. Maybe he had gotten lucky and they had gone on an overnight field trip. He didn't think so, but he could wish.  
He hoped the gate with little difficulty. Then it was about a hundred and fifty feet across open lawn to the window. He ran all the way up. It didn't take him more than three seconds to make the distance.  
Gambit slowly lifted up the window and then pulled himself inside. The room was perfectly quiet. He did not hear any of the students stirring about upstairs, or watching some late night television.  
Something moved. Gambit ran to the doorway and hugged the wall. One of the students was passing. He could smell perfume. French perfume. The wearer had good taste.  
  
Rogue was surprised when Charles Xavier had allowed her to go and visit Peter that evening. Logan had driver her. She knew that he was tired from his day, and would have been glad to have either Hank or Kurt drive her, but Xavier thought it best to avoid any unnecessary attention. After the day that the X-Men had had, she agreed.  
Peter looked better when she was there. He had even woken up and talked to her for a little while; mostly small talk, telling her to watch over the little kids for him while he was in the hospital. Rogue couldn't help but laugh when he told her his instructions. She agreed to follow them to the letter.  
Now the two were on their way back. Logan had suggested that they stop and pick up ice cream. He was up to something, and she was curious as to what it was. Logan wasn't exactly the type who wanted to stop for ice cream without a good reason. They pulled into the Dairy King and Logan got out first. After a second's hesitation Rogue followed.  
  
The woman had passed Gambit. He almost wanted to give up the mission and go after her, but decided it would be best to just let her go. He walked down the hall, approaching the first of the six places he suspected the Monet to be.  
It wasn't there. Instead Gambit saw a game room with a bolt lock. Inside there were pinball machines, a pool table and a plasma television. He'd never attended a school like this.  
Maybe if I had I'd have gone to a few classes, he thought to himself, and then smirked.  
His next destination was right on the other side of the kitchen. Again, Gambit checked every room he passed. He didn't think anyone was awake, but he didn't want to have any unexpected surprises. Nothing moved. They didn't even have any rats or insects in their place. He was very impressed.  
The painting, however, was nowhere to be seen.  
Two down, four to go.  
  
Logan and Rogue were back in the car before Logan spoke. It looked kind of foolish, him trying to give her a lecture while holding an ice cream sundae in his hands, but Logan gave it his best effort.  
"Rogue, what's up with you lately?" he asked. Blunt, but that was Logan's style.  
"What do you mean?" Rogue asked. She took another lick of her chocolate soft serve. The teen knew exactly what Logan meant, but if he was going to make her suffer the adult to child talk, she was going to make him sweat every word.  
"I mean you're out every night, you're getting in trouble. Hank tells me that your science grades are slipping. I mean, you're not on drugs, are you?"  
Oh god. She smiled. She had to do something to end this conversation quick. Logan was just too pathetic when he was trying to be a caring adult figure.  
"No," Rogue said. "I'm not on drugs, I'm just. well, I didn't want to say anything, but I've been putting in applications for college. I love being at the school, and I want to be an X-Man, but I want to do college first, you know?"  
A lie. But a good lie. That gave her reason to be distracted without having her get into trouble.  
"Really?" Logan asked.  
He really was pathetic when he was trying to be caring.  
  
Five down, one to go. Gambit was beginning to think that his source was misinformed. He had half a mind to go back and find that girl he'd passed when he first came in, but he decided against it. Instead he went up the stairs to the last place he expected the painting to be. This was also the most dangerous place because it led right past bedrooms for both students and teachers.  
Gambit moved as quietly as he could over the carpet. Midway through the hall he could see the painting. Monet, definitely Monet. He pushed it up and then brought it down off the hooks in the back. Normally about now a pressure switch would start to blare, but Gambit had taken care of it. He turned the painting around and cut the boarder off of the back, then wrapped it up and placed it in the tube that he had been carrying.  
Too easy.  
Someone was coming. Gambit instinctively ducked back into the nearest room.  
"Kitty?" a voice asked.  
Gambit turned and saw a girl who was about seventeen years old staring at him. Before he could react she started screaming. Gambit grabbed his ears and put them over his ears.  
The screaming became so shrill that the windows in the room shattered. Gambit was sure that others were coming by now. He started waving his arms back and forth, trying to calm the student down. It was no use.  
Gambit ran into the hall again, and could see the students coming for him.  
"Hey it's that guy who beat up Peter!" one of the students said.  
"He's after Tracy!" another shouted.  
"Let's get him!"  
"Oh not good," Gambit whispered to himself.  
He ran down the stairs just in time to see a young Asian woman walking towards him.  
"Jubilee watch out! It's that guy!" another student called from behind.  
The girl pointed her hands at Gambit and instantly electrical current shot from them. Gambit jumped out of the way and slid across the floor when he landed. He stood up and started to run down the hall towards the kitchen.  
The students were close behind. Time for a detour.  
* * *  
Lights were turning on all around the school when Logan and Rogue got back. Logan looked curious, then aware, and then frightened all at once. He stopped the car just inside of the gates and got out.  
Rogue got out as well, ready to run for the school.  
"Hold up kid," Logan said. "Stay here. Don't come in unless one of the teacher's comes and gets you, understand?"  
Rogue looked at him, concerned. She nodded hesitantly.  
  
The students were more divided now. Gambit was beginning to wish that he had dived out of that girl's dorm room.  
These students must really like art, he thought to himself.  
He looked out of the closet that he was hiding in. There were a couple of people at the end of the hall talking to each other, but the other way looked clear. Lucky for him that was the direction that he wanted to go.  
Gambit stepped out and as soon as he did he heard someone shout, "There he is!"  
The wall suddenly froze to Gambit's right. He could see a line of ice coming towards his head. He didn't wait for anything else to happen. The thief started running.  
What type of a messed up school is this anyways?  
He ran into the classroom that he had entered from. The window was closed. He ran to it.  
Locked!  
The students were gaining on him now. He hated to use explosives with kids around but now was a desperate time.  
He pulled a card, charged it and threw it on one swift motion. The glass blew outward, as did part of the wall. Gambit didn't wait for the debris to settle before he jumped through the window. He ran across the courtyard and saw that the gate parked a car.  
A girl stood in front of the parked car. She was beautiful, dark red hair with a white stripe down the middle, dark eyes. He felt instantly attracted to her. There was always time for little romances.  
Gambit ran up to her and wrapped his arms around her. His fingers held her neck so that it arched slightly up towards his face; his left arm supported her back. "Sorry we don't have more time, petite," he whispered, and then kissed her. He could feel his insides racing. There was definitely chemistry between the two. No woman had ever done this for him ever before.  
He moved back from her and raced towards the gate. Gambit had mounted the top before he looked back at the girl. He kissed farewell to her, knowing that they never would meet again. And then something happened.  
Gambit started to feel light headed. He couldn't move. He barely had enough energy to keep his eyes open. "Merde," he whispered to himself, and then fell off the gate, completely unconscious.  
  
Rogue had watched the thief pass out, still not completely sure what had happened. Logan, Scott and Kurt had ran to get him out of the road. She followed, attempting to answer their stream of questions. She'd imprinted him, and for the moment could tell everything about him. Soon the memories would fade, as well as the yearning to start smoking, Rogue knew, but for now things would be a little shaky.  
Finally they had him in the school's infirmary. Kurt removed the thief's trench coat and shirt while Ororo placed a heart monitor on him. Hank filled a syringe with adrenalin, and then injected the thief's arm with it so he wouldn't go into cardiac arrest.  
Finally his heart rate became normal. Hank smiled, looking at the others. "He seems to be alright. I believe he'll survive," he announced.  
"Alright, everyone, back to your rooms. We'll sort this out in the morning," Xavier said.  
"You gonna call the cops on him?" Logan asked.  
"Not yet. I think that Rogue's punishment is severe enough for him."  
Logan didn't look happy, but then again Rogue could recall few instances when he actually looked happy. He walked away, and soon so did she. Hank McCoy was alone with the thief, which was fine with him.  
Hank McCoy closed the doors to the infirmary. He went to his desk and pulled out the drawer. Inside Don Quixote was calling to be read. And Hank was never one who kept books waiting for long.  
  
Rogue had not been able to sleep. That thief, that mutant, had mutant, had given her too much energy. She was surprised that he hadn't passed out immediately. She looked around the room, seeing Kitty and Ken. Both of them were asleep, resting peacefully.  
Lucky, she thought bitterly.  
She stood up and went into the hallway, then started pacing. Her mind raced to half a dozen things. She suddenly knew computer codes, how to get out of jams quickly and easily. Most of all she knew the thief's entire womanizing tactics. Some of them made her smile; even laugh. She couldn't believe anyone would be stupid enough to fall for one of his cheesy lines.  
Rogue looked up, and found that she had managed to walk all the way to the infirmary.  
Since I'm here, she thought to herself.  
She walked inside and saw Hank McCoy reading, as usual. The thief had been strapped down like a prisoner. She wasn't sure exactly what Xavier was planning. Probably would just let him go in exchange for silence. The last thing the school needed was another reporter talking about how dangerous it was to have so many mutants together.  
"Can't sleep?" Hank asked, putting a bookmark into his book and setting it down.  
"No. I imprinted him. He's stuck up here." Rogue pointed to her head.  
"You okay? Need a sleeping pill or something?"  
"No. I'm fine. I was just wondering if he was alright."  
She looked at the heart monitor near the thief. They were beating steadily. The IV tank looked almost full, she suspected that Hank had filled it a little earlier, though she couldn't truly picture the blue monster really hanging an IV.  
Rogue walked hear the mutant and ran one of her glove-covered hands along his arm.  
"Well, if you're so awake, do you mind if I go to my room and sleep for an hour?"  
"Of course not," Rogue said.  
Hank nodded. He stood up and walked towards the door, then paused and turned to her. "Don't do anything to disturb my trust in you, okay?"  
She nodded affirmatively and watched him leave. The silver doors slid shut behind him, and as they did the thief opened his eyes.  
"Hello Cherie," he whispered.  
Rogue took a step back. She pulled her right glove off her hand, just in case. "You're awake?" she gasped.  
"Ever since that big boy blue stuck me."  
"That's not funny."  
"Sorry." He paused. "What happened to me anyways?"  
Rogue sat down, now feeling comfortable that he was secure. "I'm a mutant," she confessed. "Whenever I touch someone I absorb their strength, and their memories. When you kissed me I. well, you know."  
The thief sighed. "I just thought you were a good kisser."  
Rogue laughed. She couldn't help herself. No one had ever thought she was a good kisser. Of course after the fact they usually were in a coma for a week or so.  
"My name's-"  
"Remy LeBeau, but people call you Gambit," Rogue finished. She intended to sound like a smart ass.  
"And you are?" Gambit asked.  
"My name's Rogue."  
"What kinda name is that?"  
"Everyone asks me that."  
They talked for a while longer. Small talk mostly. Where he was from, where she was from. When they discovered their mutant powers. Their favorite past times. Rogue had caught him in several lies, but didn't say anything. She thought it was better he believe he could lie to her.  
She thought he was cute, in a bad-guy kind of way. But for some reason Gambit didn't exactly seem like the bad-guy type. He seemed. genuine. Most of it she was sure was his Cajun charm. But there was something else; something that she didn't even consciously think about.  
He knew her powers, he knew what she was capable of, but he didn't seem to treat her different. Even at Xavier's school Rogue was treated like an outsider. The students were always cautious around her, making sure not to get too close. They were most definitely her friends, and they would help her if she needed it, but they always seemed distant. This mutant didn't seem that way.  
"So," Gambit finally started, "You think you could see it in your heart to let me go?"  
Rogue shook her head. "No way. I'm already in enough trouble with Xavier."  
"Oh yes, the headmaster. You could say that I over powered you with my charm."  
"Sorry, Gambit. You're not that charming." She didn't want to seem easy.  
"You seemed to like it when I kissed you out there."  
"I never like it when people kiss me."  
Gambit paused. He found it obvious that he had said the wrong thing. She could see him mentally thinking of another approach.  
"I'm sorry," he said. "I just. well, I just don't like being captured, by anyone. Not the police, or some fancy prep school. You understand, right?"  
Rogue nodded. God he's cute.  
"So, what do you wanna talk about, since I've no choice but to stay here."  
Time to spice up the conversation.  
"Well, my boyfriend-"  
"Boyfriend!"  
He was jealous. Or at least he wanted to beat the competition. Rogue wanted to smile, but didn't. She kept up the charade.  
"Yeah," she said. "My boyfriend, he's been acting like a real sweetheart lately. And I think he's up to something, but he won't tell me what. It's not my birthday or our anniversary anytime soon. Do you have any idea what he might be plotting?"  
Gambit's face was flush red with jealousy. He obviously thought that there was more between the two of them than there was. It was fun watching him squirm.  
"I donno. I'd have to know him to tell you more," Gambit started. "But I'd say he's starting something on the side and doesn't want to leave you either. This way when you find out about the other girl you'll be more likely to forgive him."  
"Really? You think?"  
"And I'm right nine times out of ten."  
It was all Rogue could do not to laugh. Bobby may have been acting like an ass recently, but the last thing he would ever do was cheat on her. And she wouldn't cheat on him, either; she was just toying with the idea.  
"Nine times out of then, huh?" she repeated.  
"Yup."  
"What do you suggest I do?"  
"Well, if I were you I'd catch him in the act and then dump the sucker."  
This is too much fun. It's better than sleeping.  
"I'd also-"  
Before Gambit could finish speaking Hank walked into the room, wiping h is eyes. He looked down at the thief and smiled.  
"Well, it's nice to know you're feeling better. Rogue, if you'll excuse us. I would like to do a few more tests to make sure mister LeBeau is feeling alright."  
"Alright. Nice talking to you, Remy," she said, waving back to him.  
She could tell from the expression on his face that he did not like the idea of medical treatment. Rogue hoped that he would still be there when she woke up in the morning. It would be fun to go and mentally torture him again.  
  
Wraith parked the moving van outside of the school's main gate. Wraith's powers made it impossible for him to see shadows and enhanced his natural physical strength. He had never known darkness in his entire life. For this reason he was an ideal driver. The mutant turned his head and looked at the school. Things looked pretty quiet inside, there had been a window broken, but other than that things looked in ideal shape.  
He got out of the van and went to the back. Six more mutants lay ready and waiting for him. He opened the door. And let them out.  
"Pulse, if you could please," Wraith said.  
A tall mutant got out of the back of the car. His name was pulse, and had the power to emit electro magnetic pulses, capable of knocking out electricity for miles if he so wished.  
"The security devices have been deactivated," the mutant announced.  
Another strong mutant and Wraith pulled open the gates. Sandman, the mutant with the ability to make others fall asleep, lead the way. The seven of them moved across the lawn with ease, walking right up to the front door.  
Razor Burn, who had the gift of being able to change the structure of his bones, cracked the bones in his arms until they became like crowbars. He pulled the front doors of the school literally apart, changing the solid oak door into splinters.  
"Anyone home?" Razor Burn asked mockingly.  
  
Damn it, Rogue though bitterly as she walked into her room. The lights have gone off. What happened?  
She walked forward, and then kicked a bed.  
"Rogue?" Kitty asked.  
"Yeah, it's me."  
"Turn on a light, you woke us both up," Ken said.  
"I can't. The power's out."  
"It sucks being in the dungeon during a power shortage," Kitty said. "Ken, why don't you make yourself useful. Turn into a flashlight so we can see our way around."  
Rogue chuckled, but Ken did not.  
"What're you doing over there in the dark anyways, or should I not ask?" Kitty mocked again.  
"I had turned myself into the professor," Ken started. "You know, to try and figure out how long we'd wait in the dark."  
"So?" Kitty said.  
"There's something else. We're under attack."  
  
Kurt Wagner saw the seven men walking into the school first. He knew there was trouble immediately. Without saying a word her teleported himself to Ororo's room. He shook her violently, waking her from her peaceful slumber. Ororo looked angry, she was about to scold him when he put his hand over her mouth. "Someone's here," he whispered.  
"Who?" Ororo whispered back as he removed his hand from her mouth.  
"I don't know. There's an intruder down stairs."  
She nodded as she got to her feet and started for her dresser. "Get Logan. Tell him what's happening. Then get the professor," Ororo ordered.  
"Yes."  
Kurt was about to disappear when Ororo spoke again. "Be careful," she said.  
Kurt smiled, and then disappeared in a cloud of smoke. He reappeared in Logan's room and ran to Logan's bed to wake him.  
* * *  
Wraith did not like what he was seeing. It appeared that the thief had come and gone. There had obviously been some fighting in the halls, but there was something else. It looked like a mutant battle had gone on. Ice on one wall, burn marks on another. Gambit's patented explosions could be seen in various spots on the walls. If Gambit were gone Wraith would have to double back, and drive twice as fast. He didn't like that idea.  
Poof!  
Wraith turned. Someone or something had just teleported. He had seen Soul Breaker teleport many times. Seen and heard.  
His eyes gazed towards Inferred. Without saying a word Wraith motioned Inferred to go towards the sound. Sandman followed not fare behind.  
"Do you think they're around here?" he heard a girl asked, her voice a hush whisper.  
"I don't know," another girl said. But stay close, alright?"  
Wraith turned the corner growling as he did. He saw three students, two girls and a boy standing in front of him. The students screamed as Sandman and Inferred turned the corner as well.  
"Kitty run!" the boy screamed. "Get Xavier!"  
The girl with brown hair hesitated. She was the shorter of the two.  
"Sandman, get her!" Wraith screamed.  
Before Sandman could make her fall asleep the girl with brown hair ran through the nearest wall. Literally through it. No hole was left for the intruders to follow; no sign of her was left behind.  
"Mutants," Inferred gasped.  
The boy started to change his form to an adult male with some sort of visor on. He reached his hand to the side of his head and suddenly a light beam came from his eyes, knocking Sandman backwards.  
"Rogue, get out of here!" the boy screamed, his voice changed as had his appearance.  
Before he could shook again Inferred used his powers to knock the boy backwards. The boy lay unconscious on the floor, slowly changing back to his normal self.  
The last girl, Rogue, looked terrified. She turned and started to run.  
"Get her, Sandman," Wraith ordered. "Inferred, bring the boy back to the van."  
  
Jubilee had woken to the sounds of screams. She went to the hall to see what was happening, but regretted doing so. An explosive fireball passed her head, just barely missing her. She ducked behind her door and took a more cautious look.  
Several of her classmates lay injured in the hall. One of them was still on fire, trying desperately to extinguish himself. Siren lay unconscious.  
"What's going on?" Tabitha asked.  
Jubilee held out her hand to stop her friend from walking into the hallway, but it was too late. A fireball hit Tabitha square in the chest, sending her sprawling backwards. She could hear a maniacal laugh from down the hall.  
"Somebody help!" one of the students on the ground cried.  
0Jubilee silently prayed to herself. She knew she couldn't just sit there while her classmates were killed off one by one.  
  
Bobby Drake wished that Peter were at the school right now. He had already seen Kyle Gibney and James Proudstar both beaten by the mutant down the hall.  
"Where's Remy!" the mutant howled again, his voice a thunderous drone. "Bring me Remy!"  
Where's Logan? Bobby thought to himself.  
He saw one of the younger students run out of his room. Bobby jumped in the hall and tackled the child, then ran into the nearest room. He heard an explosion behind him. The mutant attacker had more powers than he was letting on.  
  
"What are all these alarms?" Razor Burn screamed over the blaring lights.  
"I don't know, Razor Burn!" Pulse started. "This school should be in the dark ages by now!"  
"Finish it!" Razor Burn cried.  
A strong gust of wind started to blow. Razor Burn turned and saw a black woman hovering in space behind them. She started to glide towards them.  
"What's that?" Razor Burn cried.  
  
Cyclops moved out of the way of an explosion just in time. He turned down the hall again, this time ready for action. A quick optic blast hit his target dead on. The attacking mutant cried out in pain then fell backwards over the balcony. Cyclops ran forward to the fallen students.  
"Are they alright?" Bobby asked.  
Cyclops kneeled down and felt for pulses. Shit, he thought to himself as he looked around. A few of the students were dead already. Most of them were just injured or knocked out.  
"Stay with them," he ordered. "Don't move anyone. If anyone comes this way that you don't know freeze them."  
Bobby nodded.  
Cyclops got up and ran for the balcony. The mutant lay on the floor beneath them. His neck looked broke. Cyclops hoped that he had killed the mutant. He would have been glad if he had.  
  
Night Crawler climbed along the ceiling, dodging the flaming bombs that had been thrown at him. He jumped down beside Tabitha and grabbed her arm. A second later he was in the infirmary. Without saying a word to Beast Night Crawler teleported himself back to the girl's wing to pick up another.  
This time when he landed he was standing face to face with the fireball mutant. On instinct Night Crawler delivered a hard kick to the mutants gut. He teleported himself in back of the mutant, and suspended himself from a light fixture by his tail. With lightning fast reflexes Night Crawler grabbed onto the mutant's shirt and teleported again.  
Now the two of them stood outside in the courtyard, away from any of the students. The attacking mutant looked surprised, and slightly nauseous. Night Crawler dropped to the ground, landing on his hands and kicking the mutant in the gut. As the mutant started to fall Night Crawler wrapped his tail around the mutants throat and kicked him again, this time in the head.  
The mutant fell to the ground, unconscious. Night Crawler crossed himself and then disappeared inside again. The students needed help.  
  
Storm shot a lightning bolt at the two mutants in front of her. The one on the left jumped in front of her attack, and seemed to be absorbing it. She was stunned, but then the attacker on her left rushed forward.  
The second one, Razor Burn she believed he had been called, ran to her. Storm watched as his fist turned into a hammed. She felt him hit her in the head, then nothing.  
  
Gambit looked up to see Rogue standing in the doorway to the infirmary. Beast was already working on as many students as he could at one time. Rogue started to walk inside, but the doors were closing on her.  
There was someone else in the hall. Two of them. One grabbed Rogue while the other one, the taller one with green eyes, started for the infirmary.  
"Let me go!" Rogue screamed.  
"Beast, let me up!" Gambit shouted.  
"Remy LeBeau!" the green eyed attacker shouted.  
"Gambit help me!" Rogue shouted.  
As she did the doors shut, blocking his view of her. Gambit struggled to free himself. He could not. Whatever binds had him were tight, and impossible to break.  
They were released. Gambit stood up and ran towards the door but Beast grabbed him. "I need your help!" Beast screamed.  
"But Rogue-"  
"We can't help her. Not even your explosives can get past that door!"  
Gambit's eyes looked over the students that lay in the infirmary. He groaned in fury, but as he did the teleporter arrived again. The freakish mutant put one of the students down. Gambit knew he was going out again.  
The thief grabbed onto Night Crawler's arm and he was instantly in another part of the school.  
  
"Get in that door!" Wraith screamed.  
"I can't!" Sandman announced. "It's solid steal!"  
"Let her go!" they heard a voice call.  
The two looked down the hall and saw a clawed mutant standing in their way. He was ready for battle.  
"Wolverine!" Rogue screamed.  
"Sleep child," Sandman said, and as he did Rogue fell limp in his arms.  
"Leave me with this one," Reaper started.  
"Sir, I can just-"  
"I said leave me! Take her with the other one to the van."  
Sandman nodded obediently.  
Wolverine started to charge, and as he did Wraith hit him in the gut. He pulled out his knight sticks and broke the lights above them.  
"You think I need my eyes to hit you?" Wolverine growled.  
"You think I need light to see you?"  
Wraith's eyes saw Wolverine just as he had when the lights were on. Wolverine stepped forward, swinging at Wraith. Wraith easily ducked his claws, and then hit Wolverine in the back with his knight sticks. Wolverine swung again, and again missed. This time Wraith hit him in the face with his right fist, followed by a left knight stick to the upper skull. He maneuvered his grip on the knight stick and used the handle to hook Wolverine's knee, causing Wolverine to fall to the floor.  
Without looking back Wraith turned and started walking for the exit.  
"Wanna try that again, tough guy?" Wolverine sneered.  
Wraith turned around and saw that Wolverine was already on his feet. The bruises that Wraith had inflicted were all but gone.  
"A healer," Wraith said, smiling. "What a pleasant surprise!"  
Wolverine charged, and Wraith swung his knight stick. This time Wolverine ducked and in turn stabbed back at Wraith. Wraith jumped back a step and caught both of Wolverine's claws with his knight sticks.  
"You want her back?" Wraith asked.  
Wolverine growled.  
"I'm willing to make a trade. Your life for hers!"  
Wolverine cried out in anger, kicking Wraith back.  
"I'm gonna split you in two!" Wolverine cried.  
He ran forward, this time cutting Wraith's right arm a little. Wolverine kicked at Wraith, and Wraith in turn dropped his knight sticks to the floor and caught Wolverine's attack. He grabbed Wolverine's right arm and twisted him around, making the healer land back into the wall. Wolverine attempted to get up again but Wraith kicked him in the face.  
"Pathetic."  
  
Gambit found Rogue being carried by the same man who was carrying her before. This time she was unconscious.  
The mutant didn't have time to think of a defense strategy. Remy pulled up a piece of broken wood from the front doors and charged it. The wood landed right at Sandman's feet. Both he and Rogue landed not far from when the explosion had occurred.  
Gambit ran to her side and shook her awake, making sure not to actually touch her skin.  
Rogue smiled as she opened her eyes.  
"What happened?" she asked, still seeming a little groggy.  
"Nothin' much. He tripped and fell."  
"Why's your shirt still gone?"  
Gambit looked down, now slightly self-conscious. "Never mind that now. Let's get you inside, alright?"  
He helped her to her feet then turned around. Gambit felt a fist land in his face, knocking him on his butt. When he looked up he saw the green-eyed mutant standing above him. The mutant held Rogue with one hand. Right next to him stood Sandman.  
"Where's the chip?" the green eyed mutant growled.  
"What?"  
  
"Don't play dumb with me! Where is the chip, Remy?"  
"I don't have it!"  
  
"Then she dies!"  
  
The green eyed mutant wrapped his gloved hand around Rogue's neck and started to squeeze.  
"Wait!" Gambit cried. "I can get it. Let her go, and I'll get you the chip!"  
"You have until Tuesday night at dusk to retrieve that chip," Wraith said. "If you're late the children we've taken with us die! Sandman."  
Gambit turned his attention to Sandman. Sandman looked back at him. "Sleep."  
  
When Jacob pulled into the school he saw the moving van pull away. The driver was in range for only a brief second, but Jacob read the thoughts of the driver, and felt utterly terrified. Those monsters, he thought to himself.  
He turned his engine on again and drove inside the mansion. Jacob could feel his body starting to be overwhelmed by the mutant presence inside the mansion. His senses doubled on instinct. His strength too.  
As he walked inside Jacob was reminded of disaster sites he had seen photographs of in the Middle East. And when his.  
Jacob instantly silenced the thought. He ran to the nearest child's side and bent down. "Hey, what's your name?" he asked.  
"Artie. Who are you?"  
The boy had burns over most of right arm. His forehead was bleeding. Jacob could see more blood, but could not tell if it belonged to the child or to another one of his friends.  
"My name's Jacob, I'm here to help."  
"Thanks."  
"One minute, I'll be right back."  
Jacob started walking down the halls and into the lower portion of the mansion. Away from the dormitories and classrooms, to the area where the X-Men trained. The infirmary was worse than upstairs. One freakish mutant with blue hair, Hank McCoy, was trying to work several students at once. Another boy with minor wounds made multiplied himself, Jamie Madrox, so that he could help more than one student at a time. Still a third Asian girl, Jubilation Lee, was holding the hand of one of her friends, comforting her with the pain she was going through.  
Jacob Morghart did not pause to say 'hello' to any of them, although he was tempted. He went to the cabinet and gathered some bandages, swabs and disinfectants then turned for the door. As he turned he saw Hank McCoy in his face.  
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Hank asked. Hank, Jacob knew, prided himself on knowing every student in the school.  
"Relax, Beast," Jacob said dryly. He had purposely used Hank's codename. "I'm here to help."  
Without another word Jacob pushed past Hank and continued to where he had left Artie. Now there was another mutant by the boy's side. A girl. One that Jacob remembered not through false memories that he had absorbed, but from his own. He knew her name right away: Kitty Pryde.  
Jacob did not say a word to her, but kneeled down next to the boy and started to treat his wounds. Kitty stood up, halfway between enraged and terrified by Jacob's guess.  
"Get away from him!" Kitty screamed.  
She pushed Jacob as hard as she could. Not hard enough to knock him off his feet, but hard enough so that he lost his balance.  
"Artie, run!" Kitty screamed. "I'll hold him off!"  
"Calm down, you're scaring him," Jacob said as he continued to work on wrapping Artie's arm.  
"Get off of him you monster!"  
She pushed at him again, but this time fell through him. Artie chuckled. Jacob knew that she had not meant to fall through him, but he had to stop her from disturbing his work. So he triggered her mutant ability, just as he could shut it off if he wanted to.  
"She should be more careful, huh?" Jacob said to Artie.  
Artie nodded in agreement as Jacob finished the role of gauze around him arm.  
"Good?" Jacob asked.  
"Yup. Thank you."  
"You might want to have mister McCoy look at that when he'd done with the other students."  
"No, Artie, have him look at it now," Kitty said.  
"But-" Artie started to protest.  
"Now!"  
Artie stood up and walked down the hall towards the infirmary. Jacob also stood up and looked into Kitty's eyes. She looked terrified, but not afraid to fight.  
"Am I really so terrible?" Jacob said out loud, more to himself than to her.  
"What're you doing here?" Kitty asked.  
"I have a personal agenda, but that can wait."  
"Well why don't you take your personal agenda and shove it right up your-"  
"What's he doing here?" Logan growled.  
"Question of the hour," Kitty replied.  
"Logan," Jacob started. "I need to speak with professor Xavier right away."  
Logan held up his fists and extended all six of his claws. "You're gonna have to go through me first."  
"Logan, please. I need to speak to the professor."  
"Why him?" Logan asked.  
"Because out of everyone in this mansion only he and that kid I just helped will even consider listening to me. The kid can't help me."  
"You need something."  
"I need to tell him something! After that if he tells me to get lost I will! I'll go and the X-Men will never hear from me again. Then again most likely I'll be dead, but I don't suppose that disturbs you too much."  
Logan didn't seem to budge.  
"If it makes you feel better, put your fist to the back of my head, claws retracted. I try anything you can extend them. You hit my brain I won't even have a chance to steal your power, I don't think so at least."  
Logan took a step towards Jacob, maneuvering his claws under Jacob's jaw as he did so. "What makes you think I'm not gonna do that right now?"  
"Go ahead. Do it," Jacob started. "Cause that's the only way that I'm going away without talking to Xavier."  
"Logan," Kitty whispered quietly.  
  
Kurt and Scott stood on the lawn for a brief seconds. They had come to get answers, but instead they found a body. Scott bent down to feel the mutant's pulse. There was none.  
"He's dead," Scott announced.  
Kurt crossed himself and started to say a "Hail Mary".  
"Kurt, what do you make of this?" Scott continued.  
Scott pulled back the mutant's collar. There was a small circular burn mark on the mutant's neck.  
Kurt reached his hand around to the back of his neck. He held the same scar.  
  
Charles Xavier did not see Jacob walk into his study. For the first time in years the headmaster of Xavier's School for the Gifted felt tears forming in the corner of his eyes. Four students had died, and he knew that more were still in critical condition. Many more had been injured. Needlessly. He had been so confident that they would be safe. So sure that he could keep his students safe within the confines of his school.  
Now. disaster. No student had even been able to get to one of the emergency hidden passages. Xavier was uncertain if he would ever open the doors to his school again. He was not even sure if he would continue to lead the X-Men.  
"Charles," Jacob called, breaking the professor from his trance.  
Xavier wiped the corner of his eyes and turned his wheelchair around. His eyes glanced at the clock that lay on the desk. Three o'clock in the morning. It was hard to imagine that things had only started to go wrong five hours ago.  
"I thought that you'd come," Xavier started. "But now's not a good time. Come back in a week, Jacob, if you're still having trouble."  
"I don't need to talk to you about that," Jacob continued. "There's something else."  
Now Logan walked into the room. He held one hand at the base of Jacob's neck. If anything started to go wrong Logan would kill Jacob without thinking twice.  
"What is it?" Xavier asked.  
"It's about the mutants that attacked here tonight. They're lead by a powerful mutant named Apocalypse. Perhaps you would like to call the rest of the X-Men here while I talk? And bring the thief, Gambit."  
  
Fifteen minutes later Remy, Scott and Kurt were both in the professor's study. Hank had been invited, but despite the other medical personnel that had arrived, he was still needed in the infirmary. Jacob knew that he had their attention. Even Charles Xavier looked interested in what he had to say. Normally Jacob would have been happy to increase their curiosity, but now was not the time.  
"Three days ago, Remy stole a chip from a research facility. This particular facility had one goal in mind: 'Create a machine strong enough to hunt down, capture, and dispose of mutants'. These machines are thirty- foot tall robots called 'The Sentinels'. Right now Apocalypse can launch these robots, but he needs the chip to program them."  
"What does he want to program them to do?" Kurt asked.  
"He wants them to create anarchy. Apocalypse believes that the world is too sick to survive. To save it he believes that we must destroy what we've made, and almost everyone alive, then built the world anew. He had enough Sentinels to accomplish his goal in a little less than forty-eight hours. And what's worse, he's holding the island that the Sentinels are being made on captive with his army of mutants."  
"Most of which are under mind control thanks to our good friend William Stryker," Logan grumbled.  
"Yes. Apocalypse is a certifiable madman, but he's not stupid. If we attempt to reach the island without the chip, he'll kill us and your friends," Jacob continued. "If we bring the chip and plan to double-cross him his telepaths will know before we can even see the island. If we don't deliver he had enough strength to hold the island for months, and his men have already started to create a second programming chip. And if we deliver the chip then he'll probably kill your friends anyways."  
"So why don't you go in there and turn off all their powers, tough guy?" Logan growled.  
"I would, but I've never tried to turn off more than five mutant's powers at once. I'm sure I have nowhere near the strength it would take to turn off all of their powers. I actually had another plan."  
"What's that?" Scott asked.  
Jacob didn't need to read any of their minds. He could tell what Logan and Scott were thinking. "Just finish talking so we can kill you."  
"We get the chip, and gather as many student as we can that can still fight. Launch a counter attack."  
"That's suicide!" Remy shouted.  
"Anything we do is a bad move," Xavier said. "But we cannot do nothing. I'm not going to let you endanger the lives of any of my students, Jacob."  
"Their lives are already in danger, along with six billion other human lives on this planet. I'm not even talking about the countless scores of creatures that will be annihilated if Apocalypse has his way."  
"I'm not going to let them!"  
"It's too late!" Bobby Drake shouted as he walked into the room. Jubilee was right behind him, along with Kitty Pryde. "If you're going, we're going."  
"No you're not!" Xavier said, his voice firm.  
"Yes we are," Kitty started. "Those are our friends too, and if what this guy says is true, then you're going to need all the help you can get."  
"This ain't a video game, kids," Logan started. "You mess up here, and that's the end."  
"If you go in as you are now, just you five, then we're going to have to fight anyways," Jubilee started. She turned her eyes to Xavier. "Come on, professor. You're always saying that we should use our powers to protect and help humanity. Give us a chance!"  
"It doesn't matter how many people come with us," Remy started. "We can't make it back to where I hid the chip and to Apocalypse's island in the time frame he gave me. You just can't get to New Orleans and then to Florida from New York in just two days. It's impossible."  
"Driving it's impossible," Scott started, "However."  
  
Peter Rasbutin woke to the sounds of crying. He walked into the hallway, still wearing only his hospital gown, and saw the parents of Nichole White, a friend of his from school. Peter walked towards them not saying a word. He could see the slightly ajar door to the emergency room. Doctor's were rushing feverishly back and forth trying to revive someone.  
Finally one of the doctor's came out into the hall. Peter watched him whisper something to Nichole's parents, and watched as her mother collapsed. He knew that something bad had happened at the school.  
Within fifteen minutes Peter was completely dressed and inside of a cab. He had transformed his right arm (the broken arm) into its solid metal shape, making sure to keep it hidden. The cab pulled up beside the school, Peter paid, and started to run inside when he heard the basketball court open up.  
As much as he wanted to know what was going on Peter did not stop inside of the school, but instead ran around it and towards where the Blackbird was taking off. The super jet still had not retracted its landing gear when Peter arrived. He leapt and grabbed onto one of the rear wheels.  
A second later the landing gear ascended, taking Peter Rasbutin with it.  
  
Logan sat in the copilot's seat of the Blackbird. He had flown the jet a few times, almost crashing it every single time. Scott was the better pilot, although Logan would never admit that out loud. He looked back towards the other seats in the Blackbird.  
Kurt, Bobby, Kitty, Jubilee and Xavier himself sat in the main compartment. The children were talking amongst themselves, occasionally allowing Kurt to join in their conversations. Xavier had been quiet since they left the mansion. Logan guessed he was trying to get some sense of Ororo, Rogue and Ken. Truthfully Logan was worried about them too, but there was something else, something more immediate that bothered him.  
Remy and Jacob sat in the back compartment. They had not spoken to anyone since they took off. Logan could sense Jacob was trying to compete for Scott's place as leader, but didn't bother to make any more assumptions. Normally Logan would be pleased to see a change of office. But not with this mutant.  
"I don't trust him," Logan whispered to Scott. "He's got something up his sleeve."  
Scott did not reply.  
"His mood has changed too much," Logan continued. "This afternoon he hated us, and now he's trying to be our friend. Even our leader, maybe. Something stinks."  
Scott's eyes remained focused on the sky in front of them. It was harder to read Cyclops when he was wearing his visor. Logan wished he could see into the X-Man's eyes. He chuckled to himself. That afternoon if he'd really wanted to, he could have seen Scott's eyes.  
"If he can do what the professor says he can," Scott started, "we better watch him. Especially when we get to the island."  
Now Logan nodded. He didn't agree with Scott much, but when he had a point he had a point.  
  
The Blackbird landed just outside of New Orleans just around midday. Scott had circled the city a few times before landing, making sure not to be seen by the public or radar. Now, ten miles outside of New Orleans, the team stood on the ground.  
"Scott," Xavier started, "I want you, Remy, Logan, Jacob and Kitty to retrieve the chip. Jubilee, Bobby, Kurt and myself will stay and watch the Blackbird."  
"What?" Bobby started.  
"Is there a problem with that, frosty?" Logan asked; his voice coated with sarcasm.  
"Yeah," Bobby replied. He turned his gaze towards Xavier. "Come on, professor. We're gonna be dealing with some major nastiness! Jubilee and I should be going with the team too! It'll be good practice."  
"No," Xavier started. "It's too dangerous. We don't know what type of spies Apocalypse might have placed in the city."  
"All the more reason to go in with full force!" Bobby shot back.  
"No, Bobby. It's my decision, and I say you and Jubilee are staying with me at the Blackbird."  
Bobby groaned and kicked the dirt beneath his feet the continued to storm onto the jet.  
Xavier returned his gaze towards the rest of them. "Don't worry about him. Get the chip, and get back here as soon as possible."  
"We'll be back within two hours," Scott replied.  
The five started towards the city. Each of them was dressed in plain clothing so not to draw any unnecessary attention to him or herself. Remy had told them earlier that he had placed the chip in a locker at a bus station. Once inside of New Orleans, it did not take them long to get to the station.  
"Logan, keep an eye pealed," Scott started. "Stay on the balcony. Kitty, you and Jacob stay together by the front door. Remy, you're coming with me."  
They nodded, splitting into their separate groups.  
  
Jacob couldn't deny that he thought Kitty was cute, for a mutant. She was only five foot five inches tall. Her hair was auburn, and her eyes matched. Even when he had first met her he had noticed her skin was a little whiter than most peoples, probably due to her mutation.  
He now stood next to her, just outside of the bus station. She still seemed uneasy around him, although he believed that she was no longer afraid. The two of them did not keep close to each other. They just stood a few feet from the other, looking around suspiciously.  
Jacob took a step towards her and put his arm around her shoulder. Kitty looked up at him, startled. He could almost hear her heart jump a beat.  
"Just so we don't look out of place," Jacob explained before she could say anything. "People might start to stare. At least this way we look like we're waiting to catch a bus."  
Kitty looked at him as if she didn't believe him. Jacob didn't much care if she believed him or not. His excuse was valid.  
"So what do they call you?" he asked, ready to make small talk while they waited.  
"What?" Kitty asked, uncertain of his question.  
"Well, they call Scott Cyclops, I've heard some students call Bobby Iceman. What do they call you?"  
Kitty's face flushed. "It's stupid. I'd rather not talk about it."  
"Come on," Jacob persisted.  
"Nothing, can you just drop it?"  
"They must call you something if you're reacting like this. Just tell me, otherwise I'm going to read your mind when we get back to the jet."  
"This is inconspicuous talk?"  
Jacob looked around. There was an old woman staring at the two of them. "You got a problem?" Jacob asked, purposely making his voice threatening.  
The woman shook her head and continued walking.  
Jacob waited a moment, continuing to look for anyone out of place.  
"So you gonna tell me?" Jacob asked again.  
Kitty sighed and glared at him. "Shadow Cat, alright? They call me Shadow Cat." She paused for a moment, then said to him: "So how did you get idea for the nickname 'Reaper' anyways?"  
Jacob did not respond, but he felt something. There was a mutant around, one with an ability that he had never felt before. "Come on," he started. "We have to get inside."  
"What is it?" Kitty asked.  
Jacob did not respond. He removed his arm from her shoulder and started walking inside.  
"What is it?" Kitty asked again.  
  
Remy pulled a locker key from his inside coat pocket and started looking around the wall.  
"What number?" Scott asked, impatiently folding his arms.  
"This one," Remy replied. He opened the locker and pulled out a small plastic bag. "Got it." Remy stood up and waved the chip in between his fingers.  
"Good, let's get out of here."  
As Scott spoke he felt someone charging him, knocking him backwards. Scott could see a man with white hair standing next to Remy.  
"Gambit, my main man," the white haired villain started.  
"Quicksilver."  
"Mind if I take that?"  
In a flash Quicksilver was on the other side of Remy. He held the chip in his hand.  
"Thanks Gambit!" Quicksilver laughed.  
With another quick flash Quicksilver was gone.  
"Who was that?" Scott asked as he stood up.  
"The guy who hired me to get that chip. Things went a little bad in that business arrangement."  
Scott could see Quicksilver suddenly come to a fast run. Even he looked surprised as he stopped moving faster than everyone could see. Another black flash had Quicksilver lying on his back.  
Jacob came to a halt and started down at him. Now he held the chip. "Thanks, Quicksilver."  
  
Jacob Morgheart felt a sudden stabbing pain in his forehead. The pain started mild, but quickly became throbbing. He fell to his knees, dropping the chip to the ground. His eyes became bloodshot. Jacob moved his hands to either side of his head, trying to stop the pain.  
"What is it?" Kitty asked, bending down and placing her hand on his.  
"Get the chip," Jacob groaned. "Get it out of here!"  
"But-"  
"Do it!" Jacob screamed.  
  
Wanda Lenshirr did not know what had happened to Pietro. What she had known was that the mutant that had attacked him was highly susceptible to her own mutant powers. She watched as a young woman grabbed the chip off the floor.  
"Get here Quicksilver!" Wanda screamed.  
As Pietro stood Wanda saw a bright flash of red light knock him off his feet. Cyclops, Wanda thought to herself.  
"Kitty, move now!" Cyclops shouted.  
The girl continued to run towards him and Gambit. With a flick of her wrists Wanda burst the lights above the three of them. Sparks showered on them, even through the girl. One of the hanging lights fell from its fixture, swinging into Gambit and knocking him backwards.  
Wanda moved her hands again, and Cyclops's sunglasses shattered. Luckily his eyes were closed at that moment. He started feeling his way around, making sure now to open his eyes.  
  
Logan had watched the people evacuate the bus station. He knew the routine. Panic and screaming. Mutants present. Everyone who was still around when the police showed up were either going to be arrested or killed.  
And right now, only two people were not running that he did not know.  
Logan jumped from the balcony, his claws still retracted. He did not let out a war cry, as he so desired. A stealthy attack was a smart attack.  
  
He hit the woman with a powerful blow, knocking the two of them to the ground. She stood up, glaring at him.  
"Big mistake," Logan grinned. "Cyclops open your eyes!"  
Scott did so, letting a single energy ray straight at the woman. Logan watched as the beam twisted, now heading straight for him.  
  
After knocking the final X-Man unconscious Wanda turned her attention to Kitty Pryde. She caused another lighting fixture to fall, this time trying to crush the girl. Surprisingly the light beam fell right through the girl, leaving her unscathed.  
Kitty looked around, desperate to find a way to escape. This was all the time that Quicksilver needed to charge her. Wanda watched as her brother ran through Kitty and into the wall.  
Wanda looked at the wall, and an electric wire broke, hitting Kitty. The electrical charge stunned the girl, and the chip fell from her hands and directly at Scott's feet.  
Scott fell forward, grasping the chip and holding onto it as tight as he could. Wanda moved towards Scott. She looked at the pillars near him, and made them start to shake. Small particles of concrete fell on her head, but she knew that they were about to crush Scott to his death.  
"I am the Scarlet Witch," Wanda growled.  
Someone grabbed her from behind.  
  
Logan pushed the woman who called herself the Scarlet Witch into the wall just beyond Scott. He wanted to extend his claws and kill her quick, but something was wrong. His claws would not extend. The wall in front of him cracked, and a sudden burst of water rushed at his face.  
The water blast knocked Logan backwards, but his grip held tight to the Witch. She struggled to get free of him, but he held tight. Logan watched as the electrical cord that had struck Kitty started for him.  
He got to his feet, just barely dodging the cord, but in doing so he was forced to let go of the Scarlet Witch. He felt the ground shake beneath him. Before he could move the floor gave way, releasing itself to the basement below. Logan grabbed onto the edge of the floor, holding on as tight as he could.  
Logan could hear the Witch laughing at him. She had plans for him, plans to kill him. But he wasn't ready to die today.  
Logan reached forward and grabbed her by the ankle, then pulled her as tight as she could. Just as he had hoped, his attack was enough of a surprise to catch her off guard. She fell on her back, then into the hole that she had created.  
He looked down and saw that the Scarlet Witch was still alive, unconscious, but still alive. Pity.  
Logan pulled himself up and looked around at the other X-Men. "Cyclops, still got the chip?" Logan asked.  
"I think so."  
"Not anymore, blind boy!" Quicksilver taunted as he kicked Scott onto his back.  
Before any of them could react Quicksilver was already running out the door. Logan chased after him, with Gambit close behind.  
Two bikers pulled up next to the bus station as the mutants stepped outside. Logan knocked them both backwards and got on one of the bikes. Gambit got on the other. Logan didn't wait for Gambit to get started before he took off after Quicksilver.  
In mere seconds the Cajun was right behind him, speeding as fast as the motorcycle would allow. Logan looked at him, smiling. He was surprised that the thief actually was sticking around, but imagined that Gambit was only there because he didn't like anyone telling him what to do. Logan could respect that. The feeling was mutual.  
Five police cars pulled onto the street behind them. Logan looked up and focused on Quicksilver.  
"Think you can lose the cops, Gumbo?" Logan screamed.  
"Think you can catch him?" Gambit screamed back.  
Logan smiled as Gambit turned down a side street. To his surprise three squad cars followed the thief.  
  
Gambit looked back, and saw that a police cycle was following him now. There was a pretty big crowd on him considering there was only one of him. Gambit didn't care. That made things only more interesting.  
He turned into one of the buildings, and the police cycle followed him. Gambit started for the fire stairs and drove up as fast as he could.  
  
Wolverine could feel one of the squad cars ram into his back tire. Before they just were annoying him, but now they had made him angry. The mutant pulled the brake and fell back along side the squad car that had hit him. He extended his claws, slashing along side the passenger's side of the car up until he popped the tire, then revved the engine again, pulling forward as the back of the car spun ninety degrees.  
The second squad car rammed into the first, causing Wolverine and Quicksilver to be alone again.  
  
Gambit wasn't sure exactly what he planned to do when he got to the third floor of the office building. He revved the engine and reached inside of his jacket, pulling out a car. As the thief approached the window he charged the card and threw it.  
The glass shattered under the sudden burst of kinetic energy right before Gambit drove through it. For a moment he was weightless, and then Gambit felt the bruit impact of the pavement. The police cycle was after him. In front of the thief was a roadblock, consisting of two squad cars.  
Gambit smiled, standing on the seat of his motorcycle as best as he could. He charged the bike then jumped and, while in midair, the thief grabbed his staff, extending it and knocking the officer from his police cycle.  
"Move!" Gambit shouted to the cops at the roadblock.  
They did as they were instructed right before the motorcycle exploded. The two squad cars blew less than a second later. Gambit grabbed the police cycle and started driving away, back to where the Blackbird had landed.  
  
Logan's pursuit led him to an abandoned parking lot with only one exit. He parked the bike and stepped off of it. Quicksilver was standing in front of him; chip in hand.  
"Alright, bub," Logan started. "You've had your fun, now hand over the chip."  
"Or what?" Quicksilver taunted.  
Logan slowly extended his claws and growled.  
"Oh, I'm so scared," Quicksilver mocked. "Know what? I think I'll keep this chip after all."  
He ran towards Logan at full speed, slid, and landed a punch firmly in Logan's groin. Logan had just enough time to pin Quicksilver's neck between his foot and the pavement, then sneered down. He pulled up the fast mutant and rushed him against a broken down Chevy.  
"Big mistake, bub," Logan growled.  
Chapter Five  
  
The mutant known as Sabertooth had hidden on Genosha for almost three years before Apocalypse arrived. It had become like a second home, and despite the human's that inhabited the island, many of his neighbors had been mutants. During his time on the island Sabertooth had seen the island create two schools, one for mutants and one for humans. They had two stores (which as fare as Sabertooth could tell were identical); movie theatres; two parks; and two basic small communities in which humans and mutants could live side by side. Separate but equal. Sabertooth believed that his former master Magneto would be happy with the island. He knew that he found it peaceful there, but Sabertooth also knew that peace would never last forever.  
In the few days since Apocalypse had arrived all the humans on Genosha had been killed. Sabertooth couldn't honestly say that he mourned their loss, but he did miss having the tranquility that came with their co- existence. But then Apocalypse had built the stadium; a crude version of the Coliseum in Italy, and forced the remaining mutants to fight to the death. Of all the inhabitants of the once peaceful island, only five remained. The rest of the mutants Apocalypse had deemed "unfit" and they were killed.  
Now Sabertooth was being escorted by two of Apocalypse's slaves. Mutants who had been issued a drug of some sort that would keep them under mind control. They were still able to think, but once Apocalypse issued an order, they followed it to the letter, giving no question or regard for their own life. Sabertooth believed that he would share the same fait as these slaves.  
Sabertooth was escorted up to the highest tower which Apocalypse's soldier's had constructed. The top of the tower was attached to a swinging bridge. And the bridge was attached to a helicopter pad. The helipad itself had no direct way down to the ground, unless one wanted to jump fifteen stories.  
Within seconds Apocalypse stepped off of the swinging bridge and into the same room as Sabertooth. "Sabertooth," he said, his voice hinted with joy.  
"Whatever it is you're going to say, save it. If you want me to work with you, you're gonna have to make me like those mindless slaves you have," Sabertooth sneered.  
"You don't even want to see what I have to offer you for your services?"  
Sabertooth nodded his head no. Whatever this madman had in mind, Sabertooth wanted no part of it.  
"I'm going to show you anyways."  
As Apocalypse spoke the door to the swinging bridge opened again, and three new mutants came into the room. The boy Sabertooth did not know, but the two girls he remembered clearly. Storm and Rogue; two of the mutants that had almost killed him on Liberty Island years ago.  
Sabertooth walked towards Storm. "So lovely to see you again," Sabertooth growled as he caressed her cheek with his claws.  
"They are my slaves, Sabertooth. But if you work with me, I guarantee that Wolverine will come to you."  
Sabertooth turned quickly, staring into the eyes of Apocalypse.  
"That's right," Apocalypse continued. "My telepaths have told me all about your little vendetta with Wolverine. I know everything, about Shadow Fox. And your partner. And William Stryker."  
"When do I get the runt?" Sabertooth asked.  
"You can kill him, and the women, after I have cleansed the world. Only then, Sabertooth, otherwise I'll make you wish that you had died on Liberty Island all those years ago!" Apocalypse seemed to have lost his temper for a moment, but only a brief moment. "Do we have a deal?" Apocalypse asked, his tone returning to normal.  
"Yes," Sabertooth said, nodding.  
  
"Good," Apocalypse replied. He turned his attention to Rogue. "You, come with me!"  
The girl did as she was told. He led her down the stairs into the basement of the tower, where four other mutants awaited to be transformed into his slaves.  
"My soldier's tell me of your powers," Apocalypse said at last when he was outside of a cell. "They tell me that you had the ability to absorb anyone's power. To gain unlimited power."  
He knew she could not respond. He also knew that somewhere deep inside of her Rogue probably wanted to kill him. If she could, he was sure, she would grab his throat and never let go.  
Apocalypse opened the door to the cell nearest him. "I have not been able to find a way to destroy this mutant. My men have tried everything. You kill her, in the way that only you can."  
Rogue started to walk into the cell. The mutant inside stood up, again struggling to remove her mutant inhibitor from her neck, but Apocalypse had been sure to keep the mutants chains tight to the wall. The girl placed her hand on the prisoner's forehead, and the prisoner screamed. Apocalypse guessed that somewhere inside Rogue was screaming too, but his slaves were perfect. They never would snow any sign of weakness, and never disobey him. Of that, he was sure.  
  
Remy had brought the X-Men to a hideout he claimed was secret from everyone. According to Remy the only person who knew that he ever slept in this place was himself. The team had decided it was best to start again at dawn, after a good night's rest. Each of them had split into their own rooms, and eventually fallen asleep.  
It was almost two in the morning before Kitty Pryde woke. She had been sleeping uneasily, and decided to go for a walk, so as not to wake Jubilee. Kitty walked past the carousel and outside. There stood Jacob, still completely dressed. She didn't know how he could stand the heat from this place, or the humidity. Not in those cloths.  
"Hello, Shadowcat," Jacob whispered without looking at her.  
She walked close to him and bent down, looking at the small clover patch that was growing by the buoy.  
"Hi," Kitty whispered finally. "Can't sleep?"  
"No. Too much mutant energy here. My body's going on overdrive. Every time I close my eyes something else goes off, whether it's Jubilee's sparks, or Gambit's charge, something's going on."  
"Must be tough."  
"Only when I'm around mutants." He paused, and then glanced down at her. "What about you? Why aren't you in your bed?"  
"Restless. This is my first 'X-Menish' type mission, you know? I'm a little afraid."  
"Well, that's a good thing. Most of us probably won't walk out of there tomorrow."  
"Gee, that was blunt."  
"But true."  
Kitty pulled a four-leaf clover out of the patch and stood up. "Well, at least I've got some luck on my side."  
For a moment Kitty stared at him, wondering exactly what was going on inside of his head. He didn't speak. She hated the uncomfortable silence going on between them. She had so many questions for him, but felt less comfortable to ask him anything that she did asking Logan about his past.  
"Isn't it funny," Jacob started, "That a four-leaf clover is the mutant of it's kind, and yet everyone likes them?"  
"They're supposed to be lucky. I don't think it's a matter of liking or not. If only it were that easy for us to fit in, huh?"  
"Us?" His voice had a sudden change to it. Jacob was confused, but how Kitty did not know.  
"Us, mutants," Kitty replied, trying to clarify.  
"You're the mutant. I'm. something else."  
"Oh come on, you can't say that you're not a mutant."  
"Easy for you to say. You wake up every day at the school you're surrounded by mutants. You have mutant friends, and are taught by mutants. If you were normal, you'd do the same around regular people. But you can tell what you are. Me? Well. what am I? Too human to be a mutant, too mutant to be a human. I'm just a freak amongst freaks."  
"But if I weren't a mutant then you wouldn't think anything of me, would you? You'd just think I were some other girl, right? So why do you care if I'm a mutant?"  
"You don't want to know."  
"Yes I do."  
  
Jacob sighed. He turned from her, and his gaze disappeared into the fog of the buoy. He seemed to be searching for words that would make her understand, although Kitty knew he would never allow them to truly understand him.  
"I was sixteen," Jacob started, his voice weak from choking back tears. "Three years ago now. Magneto had not yet attacked Liberty Island, and the debates on mutants persisted. My family had yet to decide if we like mutants or not.  
"My father, my mother, my little brother and sister and I had been invited to a barbeque at my uncles work. He worked at a power plant. My entire family was there, and so was my girlfriend. It was getting late. We'd been playing softball. My little brother Chris had been playing with his corn on the cob. And that's when we heard the alarm.  
"A mutant had caused the core to meltdown. Within two seconds the plant had exploded, super exposing us to radiation. I remember feeling so hot. I remember holding my girlfriend's hand as she exploded into ash and dust. But something else was wrong. I didn't die.  
"The explosion had turned me into a freak, a mutant. I was the only one left in a field of the dead.  
"For years I was passed from one foster home to the next. Until when I was eighteen I came to live with a man who hated mutants as much as I do. He taught me how to harness my powers. He taught me now to control them. He set me up with a job, and an apartment; gave me my life back."  
"What happened to the mutant who killed your family?"  
  
"I don't know who he was. Never heard from him again. For all I know it could have been your beloved Professor Xavier."  
Kitty paused for a moment. She moved her hand into his. "Jacob I'm so sorry."  
Jacob turned quickly, shaking her hand from his. His eyes looked at evil and deviant as they had the first time she had met him. "Sorry, for what? You and your mutant friends, you're all the same? When was the last time you or Xavier actually helped a human? Or even saw how you were hurting them? Why don't you tell me that?"  
"Jacob." Kitty said, taking a step back.  
Jacob stopped where he was, shying his face away from her. "I-I'm sorry. I know it's not your fault. I know that you had nothing to do with what happened to my family. It's just the pain is."  
Before he could finish Kitty raised her hand to his cheek. She gently moved his head so he was looking straight into her eyes. By now Jacob was crying. A single tear ran down his cheek and onto her hand. As it continued down her skin the tear caught the moon's light, and it shined as bright as any of the stars. Kitty leaned her head towards his. He too moved his lips towards her. Her eyes closed.  
And something crashed behind her. Kitty accidentally fell through him, and almost into the water.  
"I'm sorry," she started. She looked around, surprised by herself and what she had almost done. "I- I should really be getting back to my room. Uh. good night, Jacob, I'll see you in the morning."  
Before he could reply Kitty rushed inside of the hideout and ran to her room.  
  
"God, a mutant, Reaper?" Jacob whispered to himself once Kitty was out of sight.  
Remy was surprised that he hadn't been busted by his crash, but was content when Jacob turned away from him again. The thief ran past Jacob and to where he had parked the motorcycle, and started into town to see Alan.  
In Remy's eyes there was nothing like New Orleans at night. The sights, the sounds, and the smells all made him feel more alive. He got off the bike and lit a cigarette, looking around.  
There was a member of the Thieves Guild standing in the shadows. Remy knew the thief, and nodded to him. In turn the thief nodded back and emerged from the shadows.  
"Monsieur LeBeau," the thief started. "Popular man. The police been all around looking for you."  
Remy nodded. "Yeah, I know. It was a messy business."  
"So why'd you do it, Remy?"  
"I had to man. I didn't want to. I just wanted to go in, get my property, and get out. Then everything went south." Remy took out a cigarette and lit it, then offered another to the thief from the Guild.  
The thief took the cigarette and inhaled before speaking again. "Yeah, but Alan, man. People ain't gonna be trusting you anymore."  
"What?"  
"Alan. What you did, that was just sick. He must've been feeling something awful when he died."  
"Alan's dead?"  
"Didn't you kill him for that chip?"  
Remy inhaled deeply, dropping the cigarette to the ground. "No, I tried to have him sell the chip for me. He. he's dead?"  
"Word is that you did it. He wrote your name in his blood before he died."  
"I didn't kill him. Alan was my best friend!"  
  
The thief nodded. Remy couldn't tell if the thief believed him or not. He guessed that the thief did not believe him.  
"Regardless," the thief from the Guild started, "You better keep your head down for a while. Visit France or someplace. Whatever you do, don't hang around. Cops are looking for you, and so is Julien."  
Remy took a step back. He knew what he had heard, but still didn't believe it. Julien was dead.  
"Get out of town, man. Things are changing, and changing fast. Don't want to be lined in chalk, right?"  
"Right. Thanks."  
Before Remy could say anything else the thief from the Guild disappeared into the shadows. Remy knew he was alone. He got back on the motorcycle and headed for his hideout.  
  
"Scott," Jean whispered, causing him to rouse from his bed.  
Scott started to move from his bed, and then stopped. It's just another dream, Scott thought to himself. Stop torturing yourself.  
"Scott, come to me," Jean whispered again.  
Scott closed his eyes and put his head down on the pillow again.  
"Scott. please."  
Scott's eyes opened, almost against his will. Jean stood in the room just in front of him, hovering above the ground three feet.  
Suddenly he could see the end. The school was blown to pieces. Students lay on the ground, scattered away from each other. All of them were dead. He could see Rogue impaled on a flagpole. Ororo lay with her head cut off. It stared lifelessly on a stake four feet away. Kurt sat next to her, holding her limp body. He could see the edge of Jubilee's jacket underneath a pile of rubble. Even Wolverine was dead, his bloody metallic skeleton severed from his body. His own claws had been torn out and pierced his hear. Other bodies were strewn around the campus. And finally the horrific view came to the body of Charles Xavier.  
Magneto lay next to his former friend, blood pouring from a head wound. Xavier had been shot so many times that Scott could not count. Although Xavier had to be dead he still moved his hand into the air, and whispered a single phrase that was so lifeless and horrific that Scott felt like running in terror. "Save us," Xavier, the man who Scott had come to love as a father, whispered. "Kill him."  
As suddenly as the vision had come into view it disappeared. Jean still hovered in the middle of the room, which was now engulfed in flames. Scott ignored the flames and stood up. He moved his hand towards her. His fingertips almost touched hers.  
"Jean." Scott whispered.  
Jean's eyes opened and inside he could see the fires and fury of hell. He screamed, dropping to his knees as Jean rushed towards him. Then through him, and suddenly she was gone.  
The fire remained.  
"What's going on?" Wolverine screamed from the doorway. "Scott? Scott answer me!"  
In seconds the flames subsided and disappeared. Bobby stood at the door, stretching his arms and icing over every place that the flames had consumed. Scott could feel someone grab him from behind, and suddenly he was inside the main hall next to the carousel.  
Kurt moved around to look him in the eyes. "Are you alright?" Kurt asked. "Are you hurt?"  
  
Scott shook his head. "No. I'm fine. Just back off a bit."  
Xavier moved his wheelchair next to Scott. "Is everything alright?" the older man asked.  
"It- it was Jean. She wanted me to kill someone."  
"Hate to brake it to you, buddy, but Jean's dead," Logan started.  
"No, she's not," Scott started. "I just know she's alive. Professor I know it."  
By now everyone was out of their rooms and in the main corridor, including Jacob. Remy was nowhere to be seen.  
"Alright," Xavier started. "Let's get dressed and go."  
  
"Where's Remy?" Logan asked to Kurt.  
Before Kurt could respond Jacob spoke. "Ran out on us. Can't say I exactly blame him."  
"I wasn't speaking to you," Logan said.  
Jacob turned towards him. "Well I was talking to you."  
"Anytime you want a rematch, kid, I'll be happy to cut you where it don't grow back." Logan held up his hand and extended a claw.  
"Anytime, Wolverine. Anytime."  
"Stop it!" Kurt started. "We have enough problems without you two going at it. We have to save the students."  
"And Storm," Jacob said with a sneer.  
"Yes, and Storm," Kurt agreed.  
"You really have the guts to go in there, Nightcrawler? Or are you gonna just pray them to death?"  
"I am sorry for you, Jacob. I am sorry that you feel so much hate for mutants. We are not your enemy."  
Jacob scoffed. Logan wished that the mutant would start to fight Kurt and himself. That would give him a good excuse to punch Jacob, if not do more damage.  
"I'm afraid," Jubilee started.  
They turned, all three of them otherwise unaware of her presence. She stood ten feet away from them, holding her left wrist with her right hand. Jubilee took another step backwards.  
"I-I can't do this," she confessed. "I can't go up against these guys. Not now. I'm sorry."  
"What're you talking about?" Logan asked.  
"She's asking our permission to leave," Jacob said.  
"Yes," Jubilee started. "I- I've been terrified of these guys since that night at the mansion. I can't go with you, and I'd just be a burden if I did."  
"You talk with the professor about this kid?" Logan asked, instantly forgetting about his quarrel with Jacob.  
"No. I think he knows. Tell Kitty I'm sorry. Bobby won't understand, but tell him I'm sorry too."  
She turned and started walking away from them to the main road.  
"One of us should go with her," Kurt said, his voice deep with concern.  
"No, she can handle herself," Jacob said.  
  
Remy pulled up to his shack as Bobby started up the ramp of the Blackbird. Bobby stopped, looking and waiting for the thief to approach. Remy was there in a second, he slung a bag over his shoulder as he approached the jet.  
"We thought you had left," Bobby said.  
"Well, I didn't. I went to visit a friend, and get some supplies." Remy pulled a box of unopened playing cards from his bag. "Trade secrets."  
"Why didn't you?"  
"Why didn't I what?"  
"Why didn't you leave? You've got no reason to stick around. I mean, I get Jacob's reason, but I can't figure yours."  
Remy smirked. He could only think of one real reason that he would stick around. "You know that girl, Rogue? The one with the white stripe in her hair?"  
  
"Yeah."  
"I don't know what it is about here, but every time I see that girl. magic, you know? She's just got something about her that I've never felt from a woman that-"  
Before Remy could finish Bobby punched him in the face. The Cajun, stunned at the sudden attack, stumbled backwards a few steps and dropped the bag to the ground. Before he could respond, verbally or physically, Bobby had punched him in the gut.  
"You stay away from my girl!" Bobby shouted.  
"Hey, man, I didn't know-"  
Bobby's right foot met Remy's chin, knocking the thief to the ground. Remy started to look up, but Bobby was already attacking again. This time a blast of ice flew from the boy's hand, aiming straight at Remy's head. Remy rolled out of the way, then quickly got to his feet.  
"Can't we just-"  
Bobby threw another punch, only this time the Cajun ducked, and the student took a few steps forward on pure momentum.  
"What's going on here?" Logan screamed from the ramp.  
"This guy's-"  
Another blow landed in Remy's spine. He winced in pain and fell to his knees.  
"You got any fight in you, Remy? Or are you just gonna sit there! It's your fault they took Rogue! It's your fault they attacked the school! My home! It's your fault Remy! You deal with it you coward." Bobby stopped for a second and paced back and forth a few times. "Get away from us! Just go away! You stay away from us, and you stay away from Rogue!"  
  
He punched Remy again, this time in the throat.  
"Iceman!" Logan shouted.  
"Maybe I should just kill you right here and now! Maybe I should show you what it feels like to die, huh Remy?"  
"Bobby!" Logan screamed.  
Bobby put his hand on Remy's throat and started to ice over the Cajun's skin. Remy could feel every part of him growing cold. His insides felt like they were crystallizing.  
"Go ahead," Remy choked. "Go ahead and kill me. The only guy who cared whether I live or die is dead. And that's my fault. So go ahead. Do it Bobby, if you have it in you."  
Logan's hand wrapped around Bobby's wrist and he pulled away quickly. "Are you insane? Get on that ship!"  
  
Bobby stared back into Logan's eyes, and even through Remy could not see Bobby's eyes he knew that the glare was void of all feeling. Finally the student continued as he had before Remy had arrived. Logan turned his attention to the Cajun and extended his arm.  
"Still wanna come with us, Gumbo?"  
Remy was too cold to talk, even in the heat and humidity of the New Orleans buoys. He nodded and got to his feet, then preceded aboard the Blackbird. At the top of the ramp Jacob waited.  
"I'm sorry about all that," Jacob whispered to the Cajun as the ramp closed.  
"Is it your fault?" Remy asked.  
"What?"  
"Are you responsible for all this, is it your fault?"  
Jacob held his head low and did no respond.  
"Well if it's not your fault, what're you sorry about?"  
Jacob remained silent.  
Remy walked past him and into the main cabin of the jet.  
  
It didn't take long for the Blackbird to fly from New Orleans to Genosha. A little less than an hour and Cyclops set the jet down. He looked in back of the plane. Shadowcat, Iceman, and Wolverine were wearing the traditional X-Man costume. Thick black rubber covered all of their skin with the exception of their heads. It was strong enough to take a bullet, and at the same time the suits didn't restrict the heroes movement at all.  
Nightcrawler's suit, however, had been modified slightly. His blue fury tail stuck out where one would expect his bottom to be. Other than that it was exactly the same, thick black rubber with a dark blue "X" across the chest plate.  
Reaper and Gambit were the only ones who were dressed differently. Gambit had brought along some combat boots that were perfect for any sort of environment. His wore lose midnight black pants and a tight shirt to match. Gambit's arms (and most of his body) were covered with a brown trench coat, which he had tucked his brown hair into. Cyclops looked back just in time to see Gambit pulling on fingerless gloves and stretching his hands. For a moment Gambit's blue eyes met Cyclops's gaze.  
"What?" Gambit asked.  
Cyclops shook his head, and then looked to Reaper. One could mistake the mutant hater for a member of a biker gang. He wore dark blue jeans were held up by a slick black belt with a silver buckle. His chest was covered by a beat up t-shirt and a leather jacket. Reaper looked like he was getting ready to put on the same knit ski mask that Cyclops had seen the first time they met, but at the last moment he tossed it aside.  
"Alright, guys," Cyclops started. "We're just gonna go in and out of there. No heroics. Shadowcat, I want you to get Gambit-"  
"Hey, who said you're in charge, visor boy?" Reaper started.  
"Listen to him," Logan started. "God, this is worse than school."  
Reaper didn't argue. For that Cyclops was grateful.  
"Shadowcat, I want you to get Gambit inside of that warehouse. You think you can bring it down?"  
"With pleasure, mon ami," Gambit replied, grinning.  
"Good. You watch each other's back in there. Reaper, can you focus in on Rogue, Ororo and Ken's position?"  
  
"I definitely can find Rogue's. The other two will be harder to find, but if you tell me what they can do I'll try."  
Cyclops nodded to Nightcrawler, who opened the rear hatch. The team started out. They had only jogged a short way when Cyclops stopped them.  
"Gambit, lead her to the warehouse. Reaper, we're in your hands now. Lead on."  
Reaper grabbed Shadowcat's hand as she started to leave. "Be careful," Cyclops could hear him whisper.  
Shadowcat nodded and continued on her way.  
To Cyclops's surprise it was Wolverine who gave Reaper a childish stare.  
"Don't even start with me, Wolverine. I see it in your eyes. Don't even start." Reaper paused for a moment. "Storm is this way."  
  
Reaper started running down the streets of Genosha, taking back ways and alley's to get where he wanted to go. The path he took wasn't the most direct path, but it was the safest he could think of.  
Wolverine put his hand on Reaper's shoulder. "I smell something," Wolverine whispered.  
"I know," Reaper started. "They know that we're here."  
"What should we do?" Nightcrawler asked.  
"We won't get another chance, Reaper, move us forward."  
Reaper nodded. He started directly for where they were holding Storm. He didn't care that Apocalypse's men would see him. If there were an ambush around somewhere, Reaper would rather be on the fastest track.  
He finally came to the house that Ororo was being held captive in. Reaper paused outside the main door.  
"She's in here," he started.  
"What're we waiting for?" Wolverine growled, extending both his claws.  
"Hold up, there are two guards," Reaper continued. "Best let your fearless leader and myself walk in there first."  
Reaper could tell that Wolverine didn't like the order. Neither did Iceman. Reaper guessed that the boy wanted to find Rogue instead of taking time to find Ororo first. He couldn't really blame him either.  
Cyclops stepped up next to Reaper. "You take right, I'll take left?" Cyclops asked.  
"Yeah. They're holding her in the main room. The guard's are on either side of her."  
"How do you know that?" Cyclops asked.  
"He's got two strength mutants on either side of a weather witch. I'm guessing on the rest."  
Cyclops nodded as Reaper kicked the door open. Reaper felt his eyes burn as he mimicked Cyclops's optic blast, knocking one of the guards into the wall. The leader of the X-Men shot another beam that hit the second guard's legs.  
The guard fell, letting out a grunt. Wolverine was already inside, delivering a quick kick to the guard's head and knocking him unconscious.  
Cyclops looked at Reaper and shrugged. "He feels bad if I don't let him beat someone up."  
They both turned their gaze towards Wolverine, who looked back and grinned. Before he spoke Wolverine turned around and cut Ororo down from her chains. He caught her, and wrapped one arm around his shoulder. Kurt rushed in for the other arm.  
"Alright," Cyclops said. "Let's get her back to the ship and then we'll go and look for the other two."  
Reaper felt surprisingly good about himself, even though he did just save a mutants life. They started walking through the town, and Reaper silently cursed himself for not sensing the trap.  
  
Sabertooth screamed form the top of the house that Ororo had been inside of. The plan had worked perfectly. He leapt down, landing directly on his nemesis Wolverine. Without another word Sabertooth took out the stun gun he had been given and shot Wolverine in the chest. The heroic mutant writhed in agony, screaming for a few seconds before passing out.  
  
"Nightcrawler, get Storm out of here!" Cyclops shouted to his friend.  
  
Nightcrawler could see numerous mutants rushing into the streets towards the hopelessly outnumbered X-Men. He concentrated his energy, and then teleported both himself and Storm right outside of the Blackbird. Although Nightcrawler had no intention to abandon his friends, he also knew that Storm was still too weak to fight.  
A villainous mutant started to approach Nightcrawler. He lowered Storm to the ground, and then looked at the new enemy. Before the attacker could act, Nightcrawler jumped into the air, hitting the attacker's right cheek with his left leg. As Nightcrawler fell to the ground he wrapped his tail around the attacker's left leg, teleported to the rooftop of a nearby building, unwrapped the attacker's leg, and teleported back by Storm's side.  
To his surprise Storm was standing. He smiled, happy to see that she would not be injured permanently.  
"Storm, you're alright!" Nightcrawler screamed in spite of himself.  
Storm's eyes glazed over white. She spread her arms wide. Nightcrawler gasped, too late realizing that she was under the command of Apocalypse. A lightning bolt hit his back, and Nightcrawler was afraid no more.  
  
Iceman encased another mutant in a thin layer of ice. It wasn't enough to kill the mutant, but it would also keep the mutant from killing him. He looked to Cyclops, who had just shot another mutant in the chest.  
"Move!" Cyclops screamed over the yelling of the attackers. "Back to the Blackbird! We can't hold them off!"  
"Come on, man!" Reaper shouted as he grasped onto Iceman's shoulder. They started to run, just in time to see a green eyed mutant grabbing Cyclops. Cyclops tried to blast the mutant, but it did no good. Sabertooth came from behind Cyclops and shot him with a stun gun. Cyclops did not resist anymore.  
Iceman froze the green-eyed mutant, only to watch as he broke out of his frozen prison. He tried to run forward to help Cyclops but Reaper still had his arm.  
"Leave him man! We can't help him!"  
The wall next to them exploded, and Iceman froze the falling particles midair. He started to run with Reaper by his side. The two froze and as one they made a wall of ice to separate themselves from the attacking mutants.  
"Think that will hold them?" Iceman asked as he gasped for air.  
"Not for long," Reaper replied.  
Suddenly a woman appeared from nowhere, and she grabbed Iceman from behind. Before he could react Iceman found himself elsewhere on the island. He saw Ken in front of him. But it wasn't Ken anymore. This mutant showed no signs of recognizing his long time friend and roommate. Ken held something in his hand. A stun gun.  
Iceman felt the darts hit him, and within seconds he was asleep.  
  
Shadowcat had got herself and Gambit inside of the robot factory easily. Gambit smiled. There were just times in his life when he loved his mutant ability. The thief reached inside his jacket and pulled out two decks of cards.  
"Just keep close to me, alright, petite?"  
He waited for her to respond, but Shadowcat was quiet. Gambit turned and saw that she was on the floor, asleep. Rogue stood close to her, glaring at him.  
"Hello, cherie, how did you escape?"  
Rogue did not answer. She stepped towards him and lifted her arms. Gambit knew that she did not see him for who he was, merely as an enemy. He maneuvered the deck so that one card was in his hand.  
"Stay back, Rogue. I don't want to do this."  
Rogue continued forward. Gambit didn't hesitate. He charged the card with as much kinetic energy as he dared and threw it at her. The card sailed right through Rogue's chest and into the wall behind her, making a small explosion. Rogue reached her hands to Gambit's cheeks.  
"Oh no, not again!" Gambit screamed as he stumbled backwards.  
He could feel her silky smooth skin touching his. His legs grew weak, his heart beat quickened. She took her hands away from him, and he fell into her arms. Gambit looked up into Rogue's eyes, and despite the fact that she was hypnotized he could see right into her soul.  
He could almost hear her whisper I'm sorry, although no such words were spoken from her lips.  
"It's alright, petite," Gambit managed to say before passing out.  
  
Reaper stood alone in the streets of Genosha. Completely alone. No enemy mutants nor any of the X-Men were near. He could not sense any mutant activity from where he was, and that made him nervous.  
He knew that Apocalypse was dangerous, insane, but he didn't know how smart Apocalypse was. Reaper didn't know how, but somehow Apocalypse knew what his mutation was, and what the boundaries of his mutation were.  
Well, they haven't abandoned the island, Reaper thought to himself.  
Before he could move Reaper heard three thunderous explosions approaching. Each of these explosions came from a robot that stood ten feet tall. Their purple and pink bodies made them look as if a child had designed them, but Reaper knew that they were a force to be reckoned with. The Sentinels surrounded him, gazing down without pity or thought.  
"Freeze, mutant!" one of the Sentinels said, his voice monotone and mixed with electrical current.  
Reaper tried to charge one, but another shot a net at him. He screamed, trying to free himself of the net. Before he could the third pointed his palm at Reaper, releasing some variation of chloroform. Reaper struggled for a few seconds, and then fell asleep.  
  
Wolverine woke in a small circular room. The top of the room was opened to the sky. The floor was slightly wet, especially around his bare feet. He was drenched. His arms and legs were stretched by moss-covered chains, making his claws useless. The door must have been behind him, for Wolverine could not see it.  
Wolverine's X-Man uniform had been removed. All that he wore now was a pair of tattered long johns. Normally he wouldn't care, but the fact that they had stripped him of his uniform pissed him off.  
Two mutants, Storm and the green-eyed mutant, stood in front of him.  
"Who the hell are you?" Wolverine growled.  
"I am called Wraith," the green-eyed mutant answered. "Our telepaths can extract almost any information that we need out of you, however, there are some minds that are strong enough to block a mental probe. There is a chance your leader, Xavier, taught you this trick. So we're going to do things the old fashioned way."  
Wraith pulled out a suitcase and opened it. Inside were various small knives and scalpels. Wraith removed a scalpel and cut Wolverine's face with it. Wolverine threw his head back and growled in pain, then felt his skin healing.  
"Is there a second attack coming?"  
Wolverine lowered his head and spit in Wraith's face.  
Wraith cut Wolverine again, this time from the bottom of his right nipple to his navel.  
"Where are the students hiding? What're their powers? Who is protecting them?"  
"You're asking the wrong guy, bub."  
Wraith nodded. "By now," Wraith started, "Rogue was already crying answers to our questions."  
Wolverine glared at him, trying to see if Wraith was telling the truth or not.  
Wraith leaned in so that his lips were almost touching Wolverine's ear. "She was calling for you, 'Logan, Logan, help me' by the end. I suggest you tell me what you know."  
Wolverine growled and extended his claws. He tried to swing forward, but his arms could not move. He screamed, trying to bit Wraith.  
"Tell me what you know, Wolverine. Otherwise, I'm going to continue to cut you. After that I'm going to use a blowtorch. Then we'll see just how creative I can be."  
"When I get out of here, I'm gonna make you pay!" Wolverine screamed.  
Wraith smiled and cut Wolverine again.  
  
Reaper felt something sting the back of his neck and opened his eyes. He was strapped to some sort of a crude stretcher, slightly elevated so he could see straight ahead of him. A mutant sat in front of him, and Reaper guessed that it was Apocalypse. He immediately tried to mimic Apocalypse's power to escape the hold of the stretcher, but for some reason Reaper could not use the mutants power.  
"I remember you," Apocalypse started. He closed his eyes as if to remember some wonderful experience. "The boy who survived my attack on the nuclear power plant. When I first heard it, I didn't believe the stories. Look at us now. Not so different, you and I? Are we?"  
"You killed my family?"  
"Yes. And now you hunt mutants. You make them pay for what they are, for what I did to you. I never dreamed my destruction would spawn a younger me."  
"I'm nothing like you! Nothing!"  
Apocalypse nodded. "By now you must have realized that you're wearing a collar, correct? That is no ordinary collar. It is a mutant inhibitor, courtesy of mister William Styrker. While you wear it, you cannot use any mutant power whatsoever."  
"Why don't you just kill me and get it over with you bastard."  
"I tried to use the brain control formula on you, but for some reason your mind just wouldn't surrender," Apocalypse continued, ignoring what Reaper said. "But I do want you on my side, Reaper. I haven't changed my mind about that. I just need a new incentive for you to help me."  
Before Reaper could say anything he saw another of Apocalypse's mutants, Razorburn, enter the room. Razorburn pushed a second stretcher, and Reaper could already see that there was someone on it. He didn't have to see Shadowcat to know it was her. Her eyes met his. He could tell that she was terrified, and wanted to cry for him to help her.  
"Why my telepaths can't probe your mind, hers was easier to read," Apocalypse started. "Tell me, were you going to kiss her that night in the swamp?"  
Reaper broke his gaze from her and stared Apocalypse in the eyes. "Of course not. She's a mutant. If I had my way, she's be dead already."  
"My sentiments exactly!" Apocalypse shouted.  
Reaper watched in terror as Razorburn turned his arm into a sword. He lifted his arm up high and held it there for a second.  
"Jacob!"  
  
"No!" Reaper screamed as Razorburn's arm came down.  
The blade rested only a few inches from Shadowcat's throat, just above the mutant inhibitor.  
"Don't you kill her, please!" Reaper pleaded.  
"I knew you'd say that." Apocalypse grinned. "Here's the bargain, after I launch the sentinel strike, you help me eliminate what is left of the world with my army. After the world has been cleansed, I'll allow you and the girl to go free."  
Reaper sighed. "How much time do I have to think about it?"  
"I launch the Sentinel's tonight. Before the launch, I shall return. Make your decision before then."  
Before Reaper could respond Apocalypse was already on his feet. Razorburn wheeled Shadowcat out of the room, and Apocalypse followed close behind. The lights turned off, and Reaper was alone in the dark.  
He felt like crying and screaming at the same time. Never had he felt such rage, or such fear for another's life. He wished that Apocalypse had left Shadowcat behind. Reaper so longed to assure her that he'd get them out, although he could not believe that himself.  
His thoughts turned his family. He remembered the heat of the blast, the sores that healed immediately, everything.  
"I'm sorry," he whispered to his family.  
  
Sabertooth walked into the dungeon to the room that Wolverine was being held in. Outside of Wolverine's cell stood a single mutant, who Sabertooth had come to know as Sandman.  
"Let me in," Sabertooth growled. "I want to see him."  
"One moment," Sandman replied.  
He stepped inside. Sabertooth could hear Wolverine scream from inside the cell, and then went quiet. A second later, Wraith and Sandman exited the cell.  
"He's all yours," Wraith announced with a smile.  
Sabertooth walked inside the room and looked at Wolverine. The once worthy opponent had been broken. Despite Wolverine's excelled healing ability Sabertooth could still see bruises and burns. Wolverine's chest was covered with water mixed with blood spilt from healed cuts.  
He walked towards his old enemy and put a finger underneath Wolverine's chin, forcing Wolverine to look up into his eyes. Sabertooth could see the remnants of hatred flowing out of Wolverine like blood from an open wound.  
"You don't remember me, do you, runt?" Sabertooth asked as he let Wolverine's head fall limp.  
"Yeah. Liberty Island. Two years ago. You still sore about that?"  
"No. Not that. I mean before."  
"I'd never met you before."  
"Let me refresh your memory, runt. We were partners. We worked together bringing in the worst of the worst for a group titled 'Shield'. But then you left. Decided to go AWOL. Silverfox and Maverick wouldn't even hunt you down. Left it to Wildfire and I.  
"We hunted you for years. Meanwhile you did as you pleased, getting as much money as you could for every job you did. Finally you kidnapped that senator's daughter. That's when I captured you. But not before you killed Wildfire, and we accidentally killed the senator's daughter. Hell, only reason I didn't hand you over the 'Shield' like I was supposed to was because Stryker offered more for you."  
"You're lying. I never-"  
"Just keep telling yourself that. Kidnapping the senator's daughter was one of the better things you did. Should I tell you about some other stuff? Murders that would turn most men's stomachs, robberies, maiming, arson, you did it all, Wolverine. You were the worst of the worst."  
  
"Shut up you liar."  
"And Stryker did exactly what you wanted him to. He wiped your memory clean and gave you a fresh start. He kept his part of your deal. You on the other hand. Well, you know what you did."  
Sabertooth watched as Wolverine's face turned from grim to grimmer and smiled. He was pleased with himself, knowing that he had made Wolverine's day worse. Sabertooth turned to leave.  
"Hey, Sabertooth," Wolverine started.  
Sabertooth didn't turn around.  
"You made a deal with them, to kill me, right? Well, you might want to tell them to let up a bit. Otherwise you might not have a shot."  
Sabertooth growled and continued out of the dungeon.  
  
Cyclops, Storm, Rogue, Gambit, Iceman, and Nightcrawler stood in the center of the arena. Apocalypse was pleased with himself, having successfully captured all of the X-Men. There would be few, if any, who would be able to withstand the might of his army now. Finally, after centuries of planning, the world would at last be cured of the weak. Only the strong would survive. And they would rule the earth for all the years to come.  
Apocalypse ascended to the top of the arena. He stood at the base of his throne, overlooking almost all of the mutants who served him without question or pity.  
"My brethren!" Apocalypse started. "The time of atonement is at hand!"  
The crowd cheered. Apocalypse stopped for a moment, allowing them to embrace their success. He looked down at Wraith, who still remained emotionless.  
  
The mutant hero wandered down the stairs of the dungeon, into the basement. He was cautious, but quick.  
  
"Now is the end of the evils that curse the land! The weak shall fall! The rivers and oceans shall be red with the blood of our enemies! One by one the governments of this feeble world shall be crushed under our iron fist!"  
  
Sandman watched as a mutant approached him. He nodded slightly. Although he did not know the approaching mutant, that meant nothing. There were plenty of Apocalypse's men that he didn't know.  
  
"Many of your powers have been improved by the mind control formula! Soon, we shall find a way to improve your powers indefinitely, making you stronger, and fit to live in the world that we will create! Tonight, the Sentinels', the protector's of mankind, shall turn against man and destroy the weak! Tomorrow, we shall finish what the machines have started!"  
  
Colossus delivered a single quick punch to Sandman's face. He went to the door that held Wolverine and turned the handle slowly.  
  
"Let the tournament begin! The first battle shall take place between Iceman and Nightcrawler!"  
  
The two warriors stepped forward, moving into the center of the battlefield. Their eyes met. The battle between X-Men was about to commence.  
  
Professor Charles Xavier hated to change the memory of his students and colleagues. He hated it, but everyone had agreed it would be for the best. They had anticipated that Apocalypse might capture all of them, and everyone had agreed the best course of action would be to hide Xavier and then he would erase their memory of his presence.  
After that it was easy for Xavier to make Apocalypse's men believe the Blackbird was empty. He could hide both the mental presence of himself and Colossus (whom Xavier had known was around all along).  
Now he concentrated on his X-Men. Those who had been captured and put under Apocalypse's mind serum.  
Kurt, Xavier thought harshly. Kurt, Bobby, wake up! You don't want to do this! You don't need to do this! Scott, Kurt, Bobby, Remy, wake up!  
Their mental waves were hard to read, but Xavier was not the kind to simply give up. He kept trying.  
  
Iceman and Nightcrawler did not attack. They simply stood still. Apocalypse was growing impatient, a feeling that he never liked. Patience was a virtue, and he'd waited too long to mess things up now. The age of Apocalypse was going to start tonight, whether these mutants would fight each other or not.  
He looked to Wraith. He was almost ready to call his general.  
Then something happened that Apocalypse had never imagined. A large area, consisting of somewhere between forty and fifty mutants, suddenly burst into flames. He saw a burst of light, then (on the other side of the arena) another area the same size as the first, also burst into flames.  
Apocalypse was stunned. He did not know who had caused that explosion, but he envied their power and lusted for their chaos.  
"Wraith, kill the X-Men. I shall launch the Sentinels."  
Apocalypse turned and started to walk away. Tetramorph followed close behind. And, as he started to leave the Arena, Rogue landed by his side. His guards followed him, loyal to the death.  
  
Wolverine and Colossus had found Reaper. They came into the room, turning on the lights as they did.  
"What was that explosion?" Reaper asked.  
"I donno. It came from the arena," Wolverine replied. "Can you get out of that?"  
"Oh yeah. I just like this kinky stuff," Reaper replied sarcastically.  
Wolverine grinned, a little embarrassed at his stupid question.  
"Hold still, I got a key!"  
Wolverine extended his claws and cut Reaper free. They started for the door, and as they left the room Reaper spoke.  
"You two get to the Arena. I'm gonna make sure no one follows you, alright?"  
Wolverine nodded. He didn't have time to argue with the kid. Besides, Reaper seemed like he could handle himself.  
  
Cyclops still felt weak from the mind control. His body was functional, although his mutant powers were still advanced. He looked up, and saw another burst of flames burn through the arena. This time there was not only a bright flash of light. He could see a being approaching them.  
Jean.  
Cyclops wanted to go near her, but her body was covered with flames. All he could do was watch as she passed by him, totally unaware of the battle that rage on around her.  
The X-Men were fighting back, and all of them were back to normal.  
He turned, and saw the green eyed mutant he had come to know as Wraith standing in front of him.  
"Leave me with this one," Wolverine sneered from behind.  
Cyclops turned to see Wolverine with his claws out. He knew when Wolverine looked as he did then to leave him alone.  
"Move out!" Cyclops shouted. "Get to the control room! We have to stop the launch!"  
  
Nightcrawler didn't want to hurt Storm. He didn't want to, but he felt that he had no choice. She wasn't herself at the moment, and as fare as she was concerned, he was the enemy.  
She shot a bolt of lightning at him, which Nightcrawler easily teleported away from. He grabbed her from behind, hoping to end the battle there.  
  
"Storm, please, wake up!" Nightcrawler whispered.  
Storm did not react the way he thought she would. Nightcrawler could see a tornado forming above him. He suddenly knew that she would win even if it cost both of their lives.  
  
Iceman had gotten separated from the others somewhere between the Arena and the main street. It was probably for the better, he thought to himself. By now all of Apocalypses men would be all over the X-Men. He started walking towards the warehouse. Things would be easier if he was alone.  
Before Iceman could make it too fare he saw a woman standing in front of him. He had remembered her from when he was under the mind control. Her name was Soul Breaker. And like Nightcrawler she could also teleport.  
Iceman didn't give her a chance to attack. He lifted his hands and let the particles of ice engulf the woman. He smiled, pleased with himself as she looked back at him from within the coat of ice.  
Then she disappeared, and arrived behind him, delivering a stern kick to his spine. Iceman screamed and fell forward. He turned on his back and saw that Soul Breaker was already jumping at him. Iceman froze her midair, connecting her leg to ice pillars that touched the ground on either side of his head.  
She teleported again, and Iceman was on his feet.  
  
Cyclops broke down a door to one of the houses. He could not see the other X-Men now. To his surprise Shadowcat was in the house, along with a mutant known as Razor Burn.  
Cyclops opened his goggles slightly and fired at Razor Burn. His optic blast burned through Razor Burn's right arm at the elbow, leaving nothing but a stump. Razor Burn held his wound for a second, his mouth hanging open in astonished terror. He looked at Cyclops, turning his left hand into a sword, then charged. Cyclops opened his visor again, and shot a quick blast.  
Razor Burn groaned and paused. He took a small step towards the hero, and then stopped. Cyclops could see a thin line of blood forming at Razor Burn's waist. He could hear a slight sucking sound, and Razor Burn's upper body slid off of his lower body.  
Cyclops was horrified with himself, but he knew his work was not over. He ran to Shadowcat and undid her binds.  
"Blast this!" Shadowcat said, tugging at a strange collar that was around her neck.  
Cyclops did. He heard more mutants coming. None of them were members of the X-Men.  
"Get to the warehouse. Shut down the Sentinels. I'll hold these guys off," he ordered Shadowcat.  
She nodded, not taking the time to reply verbally. In a second she disappeared through the wall. Cyclops turned and was ready to meet the oncoming threat.  
  
Wraith pulled out his silver nightsticks and blocked Wolverine's first swing at the wrist. Wolverine stabbed forward, but Wraith knocked away that attack as well. He punched Wolverine in the face with his fist, and then knocked the side of Wolverine's head with the nightstick.  
Wolverine growled and rushed Wraith. Wraith moved out of the way easily, hitting Wolverine in the throat with the nightsticks. As Wolverine gasped for air Wraith hit him again, this time at the base of the spine. Wolverine fell to his knees, and Wraith kicked him in the face.  
"Come on, Wolverine! Make me work for this!"  
Wolverine screamed, swinging at the villain. Wraith merely blocked the attack again and stepped on Wolverine's face.  
"Make this worth my wild, or else I'm gonna kill Rogue!"  
  
Nightcrawler had teleported for the fifth time. Storm was fighting very well considering most of the times he was holding onto her. She had shocked both of them twice, but Nightcrawler seemed to be the one more hurt.  
Now he could feel a piece of hail hit him in the back. He pushed Storm forward so that he was shielding her as the hail came down. He had an idea. One that he hoped would bring her back to normal.  
  
Wraith held Wolverine by his hair and punched him again. "You're lucky you have those metal bones, Wolverine. Otherwise you'd be dead by now, healing factor or no."  
"He's mine!" a voice growled from behind.  
Wolverine could see Sabertooth on the other side of Wraith. Sabertooth's anger had not diminished any from Wolverine's last encounter. Sabertooth walked forward, but before he could attack Wolverine Wraith knocked him backwards.  
"You can have the rest. He's mine!"  
  
Wraith held up his hand in a fist. He was about to punch Wolverine a final time but Sabertooth caught the fist. Wraith looked at him. "Very well," Wraith started. "You shall have yours too."  
Wraith swung him arm, knocking Sabertooth backwards. Wolverine attacked now, but was thrown next to his nemesis.  
"Hey Wolverine, you think we should," Sabertooth started.  
"Yeah, just don't make a big deal out of it," Wolverine replied before Sabertooth could finish his sentence.  
The two stood side by side, ready to attack their common enemy.  
  
Gambit arrived inside of the warehouse and looked behind him. The rest of the X-Men were gone. How did I lose them? he thought to himself. He continued to walk alone, weary of his surroundings. The Cajun pulled some of his playing cards from his inner pocket, holding them tight, ready to use them if he needed to.  
A flash of red light flew from the darkness, and Gambit jumped out of the way. He watched as the laser beam hit the conveyor belt behind him and explode. Gambit pulled three cards from his deck, charged them, and let them fly in the darkness. He didn't hit Apocalypse, but he was able to see where the warlord was.  
Gambit took two deep breaths, then stood up and charged where Apocalypse was. Apocalypse shot another laser beam at Gambit; this one nearly took his head off. Gambit didn't slow. He jumped, extending his right foot towards Apocalypse's head. Apocalypse caught the Cajun midair, throwing him into the closest wall, just as Gambit had anticipated.  
Apocalypse took a few steps towards the thief, and Gambit quickly turned. Two more cards flew from his hands, both charged fully. Apocalypse growled as the cards hit him, but they didn't seem to affect him much. He continued to lumber towards Gambit like a harbinger of death. Gambit charged another card and threw it, but Apocalypse merely swatted the card away like a fly.  
Gambit tried to get to his feet, but before he could the blue giant extended his arm. Apocalypse's fingers wrapped around Gambit's face, and the thief could feel his face grow hot.  
"'Thou. shall. not. steal'," Apocalypse bellowed; his voice shaking Gambit's very soul.  
It would all be over soon. Gambit could feel the laser forming.  
  
"Help me!" Storm screamed from under the pile of hail. "Get me out of here!"  
Nightcrawler hated leaving her buried. He knew how claustrophobic she was. But he had to leave the two of them there for just a few more seconds. Just to make sure Storm was really herself.  
Then, they were in the Blackbird, right next to Xavier. Storm was still panicking, but she would be alright. "Where are the others?" Nightcrawler asked.  
  
Sabertooth and Wolverine charged Wraith at the same time. Wraith had put away his nightsticks. He grabbed Wolverine's arm and plunged the mutant's claws into Sabertooth's gut, then kicked the bigger of the two away. Finally Wraith threw Wolverine behind him, turning around just in time to deliver his right fist to Sabertooth's face. Wraith wrapped his fingers together behind Sabertooth's head and kneed the mutant in the gun and finally pulled one of his nightsticks out. The evil mutant plunged the silver stick down Sabertooth's mouth, choking him. He knew that although both Sabertooth and Wolverine could regenerate they both needed to breath.  
Wolverine stabbed Wraith in the back with one set of claws, and Wraith howled in pain. He knocked the clawed mutant away before he was stabbed again. This however, was enough time for Sabertooth to pull the nightstick from his throat. Sabertooth charged, and Wraith pulled his second nightstick, throwing it right into Sabertooth's forehead.  
* * *  
Colossus could see Iceman trying to freeze a teleporter. He started walking towards the two as they fought. The teleporter was fast. Faster than any that Colossus had ever seen before.  
Finally he grabbed her and spun her around, ignoring the thin layer of ice that covered them both. Colossus was aware of being teleported to several locations, but his grip still held. He punched the woman in the face, and she instantly was knocked out.  
"That's how it's done!" Colossus shouted to his shorter friend.  
Iceman smiled, and then held up his hands as if to blast another charge of ice.  
Colossus turned and saw Cyclops behind him. Cyclops did not speak, he merely mentioned for them to follow. Colossus did, and as he entered the streets the three could see more of Apocalypse's goons.  
  
"Hey ugly!" Reaper called from behind Apocalypse. "Wanna take me on?"  
Apocalypse turned, his eyes filled with rage. "You disappoint me, boy." He dropped Gambit t the ground and continued towards Reaper. "You could have been my best general, but instead you chose to die." Apocalypse reached his arm up, and Reaper could see it growing towards him.  
Reaper concentrated on Apocalypse's mutant ability. For a second his mind and Apocalypse's DNA became one, and Apocalypse's arm stopped growing. It was retracting. Shrinking to its original form.  
"No powers," Reaper challenged.  
"Very well. But first." Apocalypse turned towards Gambit and shot a laser from his fist. Gambit screamed as a support beam fell towards his head. It missed, landing on the conveyor belts on either side of the thief.  
Apocalypse returned his attention to Reaper. He punched at Reaper, hitting the boy square in the chest. Reaper flew backwards into the hand of a Sentinel model. Apocalypse loomed towards him. His face became hidden in the darkness, and all that Reaper could see was two evil eyes leering back at him.  
"I killed your family, and now, you too will die."  
  
Wolverine continued to swing at Wraith with either hand, and every time the stronger mutant blocked the attack. Finally Wraith grabbed Wolverine by the throat and started to squeeze. Wolverine tried to stab the bigger mutant, but Wraith was too powerful. He grabbed Wolverine by the wrist and twisted his claws towards him. Wolverine felt his own blade seeping into his skin.  
Before Wraith could continue Sabertooth was on his back. Sabertooth held one of Wraith's nightsticks from either side, and pulled it around Wraith's neck. The bigger mutant let go of Wolverine, swinging his body from side to side. Sabertooth held tight.  
Wolverine stabbed again, this time hitting Wraith in the chest. Wraith did not scream, but knocked Wolverine down with a single hit. Wolverine did not give up. He stabbed Wraith again, this time in the leg. Wraith fell to his knees, still attempting to pull Sabertooth from his back. Wolverine got to his feet. He held out his claws, ready to deliver the fatal blow to Wraith.  
And then he saw a small circular burn. He had seen such a mark before. Two years ago, at Alkali Lake. The Asian woman whom he called "Lady Deathstrike" had bore the same mark. Wolverine could not spare her life, but at the same time he would not take Wraith's. He retracted his claws, stepping backwards as Wraith passed out from lack of consciousness.  
"That's enough," Wolverine said to Sabertooth.  
Sabertooth's grip held tight.  
"I said that's enough!" Wolverine shouted, pulling Sabertooth's hand away from Wraith's neck. "Enough people have died today."  
Sabertooth nodded. He stood up and started patting the dust off of his chest. "You saved my life, Logan," Sabertooth started. "I owe you this much. The senator, whose daughter you kidnapped, his name is Blanchard, Chester Blanchard. He's living somewhere in Washington now. He'll be able to tell you things you don't believe from my lips. Now, go."  
Wolverine nodded. He exited the arena and started for the Blackbird.  
  
Cyclops watched as Colossus and Iceman entered the Blackbird. He looked back at the island, knowing that they would have to destroy the warehouse. He also knew that there was a good chance that some of the X- Men were still inside of the warehouse even now.  
  
Apocalypse hit Reaper again, and the boy could feel blood trickling down his face. Before Reaper could fight back Apocalypse grabbed him by the shirt collar and lifted him up, only to smash him down into the ground again. Reaper moved his hand out, searching for anything that could be used as a weapon.  
His finger's wrapped around a monkey wrench, and Reaper swung the tool as hard as he could. To his surprise Apocalypse seemed stunned. Reaper hit him again, and the blue mutant stood up. Reaper continued swinging the tool back and forth, each time hitting Apocalypse as hard as he could. With every swing that Reaper took he could feel his rage growing. Every time the monkey wrench hit Apocalypse's head he remembered his family dying. He remembered how they burnt.  
Finally Apocalypse fell on his back and Reaper lifted the monkey wrench high in the air. Apocalypse lifted his arm, extending it like a torpedo. The force knocked Reaper backwards into another pile of spare parts.  
  
Gambit could see that Reaper was unconscious. He pulled a card and aimed at Apocalypse. Before he could someone grabbed his hand. It was Rogue. Standing close behind her was Tetramorph.  
"Petite," Gambit whispered.  
Rogue did not respond. She removed the card from Gambit's hands and threw it carelessly. He took a step backwards as she removed her gloves. Gambit wanted to run, but couldn't. Rogue lifted her arms, and he could feel her skin against his.  
Nothing happened. She looked almost as surprised as he was. It didn't take Gambit long to figure out what was happening. Reaper was blocking Rogue's power.  
Apocalypse growled from behind Gambit. "You two finish them off! I'm going to launch the Sentinels."  
Gambit turned to go after Apocalypse, but was stopped by Rogue. She punched him in the gut. She may not have had her absorbing ability, but her strength remained intact.  
  
Apocalypse entered the control room for the Sentinels. He went to the computer and typed in the "launch" command. "System error, please place in command chip," the computer voice started.  
"Hey!" Reaper shouted from the doorway to the control room. "Looking for this?"  
Apocalypse turned and could see the command chip in Reaper's hand. It started to glow as Reaper charged it with kinetic energy. A quick flick of the wrist and the chip was flying at him. He screamed as it hit the computer, exploding both the chip and the computer.  
  
Shadowcat entered the warehouse, expecting to short the computer herself. To her surprise, the control room was already on fire. She could see Rogue standing near Gambit. Apocalypse had pushed by Reaper and was running out of the warehouse. Tetramorph followed close behind.  
"We have to get him!" Reaper shouted as he ran down the stairs.  
Gambit stood up, he looked ready to attack Rogue.  
"What're you doing?" Shadowcat screamed.  
"She's still under the control of that mind control stuff!" Gambit screamed back.  
"No I'm not!" Rogue shouted. "I'm not sure why, I'm just not!"  
Reaper ran onto the ground floor with the other three and nodded in agreement. "Xavier must've cured her. Rogue, fly to the Blackbird and tell them that Apocalypse is trying to get away. You two follow me!"  
Rogue nodded. She started to fly away from them. Shadowcat made a mental note to ask Rogue about her flying ability when they got back to the mansion.  
  
Reaper ran up the stairs of the tower as fast as he could. Tetramorph and Apocalypse were already at the top. Shadowcat and Gambit were right behind him. Within seconds they were at the top of the tower. None of them stopped until they were on the crossing between the tower and the helipad.  
Reaper couldn't help but look down. He saw a giant pool beneath him. There was an electrical cord broken that had landed in the pool, and he could see electricity dancing within the current.  
He looked up again, and saw Tetramorph turn into Cyclops. Tetramorph blasted the one side of the walkway, and then turned into Nightcrawler and teleported to the other side of the walkway, only to repeat the process.  
"Go back, it's a trap!" Reaper screamed. He turned around to run to the tower, but Tetramorph was in their way. He knocked Gambit backwards with a single punch as Colossus, and then turned his attention to Shadowcat.  
"Get away from her!" Reaper screamed as he leapt forward.  
Tetramorph grabbed him by the throat and threw him to the edge. Reaper's fingertip grasped the edge of the walkway just barely, and then Tetramorph was gone.  
He looked to either side of the walkway, and could see the plaster buckling under the weight. Someone grabbed him. Reaper looked up to see Kitty's brown eyes staring back at his own.  
"Pull yourself up!" Kitty screamed.  
Reaper nodded, and started to pull himself up. As he did the walkway started to crumble more. He looked down, and again saw the pool of water surging with electricity. There was easily a mile between him and the ground, not even enough space to use Kitty's power to cushion the fall.  
"Let me go, Kitty," Jacob ordered as he released his grip from her wrist.  
"What? What're you talking about? You can make it up!"  
"This walkway can't support all of our weight! As it is you might have to knock Gambit off!"  
"You can make it!"  
Jacob paused. He looked at the walkway crumbling again. "It's okay, Kitty, I've been looking for a reason to stop hating myself."  
"No. We can make it. We all can make it."  
"Oh Kitty I'm sorry." Jacob grasped Kitty's wrist and pulled himself up. For a brief moment their lips pressed together, and his anger was silenced. Then he used her power as if it were his own. Their skin intermingled for less than a second, and he was falling.  
Jacob could see Kitty reach out her hand for him. Her tears fell like rain from heaven, washing him to sleep. A second later Nightcrawler had grabbed Kitty from behind, and she was gone.  
Chapter Six  
  
It had been a week since Apocalypse had left the island of Genosha. By now all of his minions had returned to normal, the effects of the mind control drug dwindling down to nothing more than a horrific memory. Many of the mutants had returned to their homes across the globe, forsaking their lives of ruthlessness. Only forty-six remained.  
Sabertooth watched as the sun rose that day. He had been up the entire night with other mutants, trying to comfort them as they died, or help those who would not die. His cloths were stained with blood from a countless number of his mutant brothers and sisters.  
As he stared into the distance Sabertooth could see something floating towards him. It seemed to be a disk, at least twelve feet in diameter. It wasn't like any aircraft he had seen before. And it didn't look like any alien, either. It took Sabertooth a little less than a second to figure out who was piloting the disk.  
The disk stopped only about fifteen feet from the island. Sabertooth watched as his former master lowered the disk and walked onto the island. About twenty more mutants accompanied Magneto, eager to walk on Genosha.  
"Erik," Sabertooth said, nodding his head slightly.  
"Victor," Magneto replied, also nodding in acknowledgement. Magneto turned to the mutants who had rode on the disk with him. "Brothers and sisters, we have found it. Our sanctuary! I claim this island as the mutant sanctuary, Genosha. From now on, no human shall walk on these shores. We have found our home.  
"Hurry to the infirmary. Many of our brothers and sisters need medical attention."  
Surprisingly, Magneto's men were well equipped with enough medical equipment to service twice as many mutants as were in the infirmary. They rushed forward, leaving Magneto, Mystique, and Sabertooth alone.  
"What happened to the rest of them?" Magneto asked. Sabertooth did not know how, but Magneto knew more about Genosha than he could have dreamed. "The X-Men," Sabertooth started, but Magneto cut him off.  
"Aww, Charles. Of course. And the Sentinels, they're destroyed I trust."  
Sabertooth nodded.  
"No matter," Magneto started. "They may be of better use to us now than they would have ever been when functional."  
As he spoke Sabertooth could hear the bending of metal. He turned and saw that the roof of the Sentinel warehouse had been pulled back. The limp bodies of the robotic giants lifted into the air and were bending into the shapes of buildings, skyscrapers, and even houses. Some of the Sentinels were even cast into the water, flattened, and then covered with sand. The island of Genosha was growing. Finally, Magneto would have his perfect corner of the world.  
  
Wraith had hijacked a boat and loaded it with various provisions so that he could get back to shore. He was about to cast off when Sabertooth found him. Wraith paused for a moment, then got out of his boat and limped towards his former adversary.  
"You're leaving?" Sabertooth said.  
"Yeah," Wraith replied. "I've got things to take care of. Vengeance."  
"You know Magneto asked for you to stay around, be one of our law enforcement officers. Soon, you know, we will be a major world superpower."  
"You have no business asking me to do anything." Wraith rubbed his neck (which was still bruised) to remind Sabertooth of their brawl only a few days before.  
Sabertooth chuckled. "No. I don't."  
Wraith turned around. He got into the small speedboat and untied the rope connecting the vessel to the dock. A few seconds later and he was but a spec in the horizon.  
Sabertooth could smell Magneto walk beside him. He didn't need to look.  
"Does he know about-"  
"No," Sabertooth replied. He already knew what Magneto was going to ask. "He doesn't."  
  
"He will one day, you know."  
Sabertooth nodded. He turned his back to the water and went back to help with the infirmary, they still were in much need.  
  
The Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters didn't look much different than it had when the X-Men had left. Charles had only just informed Warren Worthington had he believed the school to be safe for the general students to return. He expected that Beast and the students would be returning within the next two to three days. There would be a period of adjustment, but life would go on as usual.  
Only now, Charles was beginning to doubt himself. He had seen almost half a dozen of his students die within the last three years, and was getting nervous. He would do anything to protect them, anything. But now, with enemies of the X-Men growing at an alarming rate, Charles Xavier was not sure if he had any business running a school. Either that or he would have to disband the X-Men, which didn't make sense to him either.  
It was a question that he would have to ponder, and Xavier intending to take either side as a consideration for a long time.  
A polite knocking at the door interrupted Xavier's train of thought. He knew it was Logan already, and what the mutant intended to say. Come in, Xavier thought, sending his thoughts to Logan's brain. Of course Logan just thought that Xavier had answered like a normal human being, and entered accordingly.  
"Charles, a word?" Logan said as he entered the room.  
"Of course, Logan. How can I help you?"  
"I've already told the others this, so you're the last to know. When I was on Genosha Sabertooth told me about something that might help me out with my past. It was probably just B.S., but I've got to check it out."  
Xavier nodded. "I have no hold on you, Logan. Just like any other student or teacher you can come and go as you please. You know, of course, you can come back whenever you wish. Right?"  
Logan nodded. He left the room, closing the door behind him.  
  
It had been too long since Rogue and Bobby Drake had been alone together. Now was one of those rare occasions when the two of them could be alone. "Feeling better?" Bobby asked.  
"I still feel. strange," Rogue admitted.  
Strange was putting it lightly. Rogue still hadn't got a full handle on how to make herself fly, or stop flying. And the superhuman strength was getting on her nerves. She's broken her bed in two just by lying down too hard. Xavier was trying to help her learn her new powers as best he could. He believed the powers were simply a side effect from when Apocalypse had made her kill that mutant back on Genosha.  
"I'm sorry to here that," Bobby replied. He put his arm around her, making sure that their skin did not touch.  
Rogue instantly took a step backwards.  
"What's the matter?" Bobby asked.  
"Bobby, we have to talk," Rogue started. "Things. well, they aren't working out between us. You're not like you were when I first met you."  
"What? Now hold on a minute-"  
"Please let me finish. You're overly aggressive. You backtalk to everyone including Professor Xavier. I'm sorry, but we're done. I hope that-"  
"That's fine Rogue. That's just fine. You know what, I'm sure you two will be very happy together." He started to walk away from her.  
"Just what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Rogue asked, suddenly furious.  
Bobby turned to her, and again she saw a flash of rage in his eyes. "You and that. that thief who broke in here. I've seen the way you look at him! And you'd have to be blind to miss the way he gawks at you."  
"See this is what I'm talking about, Robert! You acting like this! You're. You're becoming like John! Everyone sees it, why don't you?"  
"Maybe John had the right idea," Bobby replied.  
"Bobby, how can you say that?"  
Bobby stared into her eyes, and Rogue again saw no trace of the boy whom she had fallen in love with. She found herself suddenly very afraid, and wished that someone else were around. Rogue moved her hands so that it would be easy to pull of her gloves if the worst did happen.  
Bobby said nothing. He turned from her and started to walk away. Rogue stayed still for a few moments, watching as he went back into the school. She breathed in deep, and then continued into the school.  
  
Remy LeBeau felt that he had outstayed his welcome. His bags were packed, and he was ready to make the long drive home. Gambit stood behind Xavier's wheelchair, pushing the man along they talked. "So you're determined to leave? You know there's always a room open for a man like you, Remy. We need more teachers, you know."  
Remy chuckled. "What would I teach? The art of pick-pocketing?"  
"Well, our art teacher has taken an unexpected leave of absence."  
Remy chuckled again. "Sorry, mon ami. But I think it would be better if Gambit were on his own for a while, you know? Things are a little dangerous out there for me. Don' wanna get your students in any more trouble."  
Xavier nodded. "Have you said your good-bye's to everyone?"  
"T'ain't no one to say good-bye to. I'm just gonna get in my car an' drive back t' New Orleans."  
"Well," Xavier started, jerking his wheelchair to a stop and turning it around. "Gambit, we'll miss you. It certainly has been interesting to say the least."  
"It certainly has been."  
Remy shook the hand of the headmaster then continued on his way. He knew where he was going, the garage. But if anyone in the entire school thought he was leaving in the same P.O.S. car that he arrived in, they were nuts.  
Upon arriving at the garage Remy grabbed a key from the key closet. He went into the main part of the garage, and pressed the alarm button. A mechanical chirping sound erupted from a cherry red sports car. Just his style.  
He started to the car, the paused. A girl was crying somewhere nearby. He could hear her, somewhere inside of the garage. Remy followed the sounds of the sobs and found Rogue in the corner.  
"Petite?" Remy asked.  
She jumped, startled by his presence. Rogue quickly whipped her eyes so that she did not appear to be as sad as she was. "What're you doing here?" she asked.  
"Uh. just checking on the cars," Remy lied. It was a stupid lie, and he knew she wouldn't believe it. But she smiled just the same. "I heard someone crying," Remy continued, thinking up a much better lie as he spoke. "And was wondering what was wrong."  
Rogue sighed and moved her head against the wall. "Oh, nothing. You wouldn't understand unless you were gay."  
Remy nodded. But he wasn't about to pretend to be gay for anyone.  
"Bobby and I broke up," Rogue continued. "It was just a bad situation." She paused. "Are you sticking around or going back to New Orleans?"  
Remy paused for a moment. He slipped the car keys back into his pocket, then walked to her and got on his knees. His gloved hands slipped into her gloved hands. "I think I'll be staying her for a while," he said, and then he bent his head down and kissed her knuckles softly.  
  
Kitty Pryde sat in her room crying. She had phoned her mother when she returned, and they had made arrangements for her to go home for the rest of the school year. Although Kitty had pleaded with her mother to let her stay for graduation, the request had been denied. Kitty had already said good-bye to all of her friends that were there, and had left notes for other students who had not yet arrived in the care of Rogue.  
Jubilee was still missing, and she knew that Professor Xavier was still searching for the girl using Cerebro. Kitty wished that she could have seen her Asian friend again, if nothing more to say good-bye.  
Kitty's X-Man suit lay spread out on her bed (which was now stripped of everything but a mattress). The room looked very empty without her pictures and posters cluttering the walls. Kitty's cloths had been packed. Later that evening Ororo would drive her to the airport.  
The senior at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters opened the drawers to her desk, making sure that she had left nothing behind. In the top drawer Kitty found a single four-leafed clover. "Jacob," she whispered, looking around. She half expected him to come into view.  
But Jacob Morgeheart did not come. He was gone. Dead. And Kitty knew it.  
She pulled the clover from the desk and went to one of her bags. After searching for a few moments Kitty came across her physics book (which she had used more for entertainment than studying) and placed the clover inside one of the pages she had marked. She then closed the book and placed it back in the bag she had retrieved it from.  
"I won't forget, Jacob," she whispered silently.  
  
Jacob Morgeheart walked into the same room as his foster father. His foster father did not seem to notice. Currently he was putting the finishing touches on a plastic version of the sentinels. One that was impervious to magnetic storms.  
"Did you get the chip?" Jacob's foster father asked.  
"Right here," Jacob replied. He opened his coat and removed his copy of the Sentinel's chip. "That girl Kitty Pryde almost busted me when I was making my copy."  
"And Xavier?"  
"His number's aren't diminished, although their moral has."  
"Did he suspect you?"  
  
"Just as you suspected. He wasn't able to scan my memory, father."  
William Stryker turned towards his adopted son, holding out his hand for the chip. Jacob did not hesitate to give the chip up. "Excellent," Stryker started. "Things are going better than I could have possibly planned."  
"Why didn't you tell me that Apocalypse was the one who killed my family?"  
  
"I didn't know. He was? Is he still alive?"  
Jacob nodded.  
Stryker paused and looked up at his adopted son.  
"Don't worry, son. We'll find him, and punish him for what he's done to you. Then, we'll wipe the mutant stain from the world. Don't worry, everything is going according to plan." 


	3. Original Character Bios

New Character Bios-  
  
Subject: Reaper Real Name: Jacob Morgeheart Age: 19 Family: None. Mutant Abilities: Able to mimic, disable, and sense any bio-mutations within a half mile range. His body will work on impulse to protect itself from bio-energy, such as Cyclops's optic blast or Jean Gray's telekinesis, and/or heal itself also on instinct, if a mutant like Wolverine is around. History: At age fifteen Jacob's entire family was killed when the nuclear power plant in his hometown was destroyed. This was also the event that turned him from a regular human to a mutant. For two years Jacob lived in half a dozen foster homes. When he turned seventeen, Jacob was taken in by a man who hated mutants just as much as he did. Jacob has since harnessed his powers to their maximum potential, and hunted mutants without mercy under the name of Reaper.  
  
Subject: Wraith Real Name: Unknown Age: 38 Family: Unrevealed Mutant Abilities: Wraith has super-human strength that rivals Hank McCoy's. He can also see in the dark. History: Wraith was abandoned when he was only a small child. His mother moved out of her apartment, leaving him behind with no food or money. He spent the majority of his childhood in Juvenal Hall for small things. When he turned eighteen Wraith joined the army. Three months later Wraith was kicked out because he almost murdered one of his teammates with his bare hands. For years Wraith worked on the wrong side of the law, mostly running drugs from Mexico to Texas, some assassin jobs. He acquired two silver nightsticks, and prefers to fight with those as oppose to a gun. Two years ago Wraith was taken captive by Apocalypse and put under mind control. He has no drive now except to do exactly what Apocalypse commands.  
  
Subject: Soul Breaker Age: 31 Real Name: Dana Colby Family: Maddy Colby (mother, deceased) Russell Colby (father), Jeremiah Nelson (son). Mutant Ability: Self-Teleportation History: When Dana was seventeen she discovered her ability to teleport. She was riding in the car with her mother, drunk at the time. Her mother had been lecturing her when suddenly one of the tires went flat. Dana teleported herself on reflex before the car crashed. Her mother died instantly in the wreck. When she was twenty-six her son was kidnapped by the mutant Apocalypse and held for ransom. Dana eagerly agreed to help the mutant warlord so that her son would be spared, and took on the name of Soul Breaker. At thirty Jeremiah was rescued from Apocalypse, but was kidnapped by William Stryker. Dana now does what Stryker tells her to without question, for fear of losing yet another member of her family.  
  
Subject: Tetramorph Age: 17 Real Name: Ken Neil Mutant Ability: Tetramorph is able to change his genetic structure to take on the appearance of others and (in the case of mutants) assume their mutant powers. He can only perform one mutant's power at a time. History: Ken discovered his ability to change his appearance when he was in a school talent show. His talent: impersonating other people. It wasn't until he was halfway through his show that Ken realized that he was not only impersonating their voice, but he was impersonating their physical appearance as well. He has since been a student of Xavier's School for the Gifted, learning to master his ability, while practicing his comedy routine at the same time. 


End file.
